


Etrian Odyssey IV: Curse of the Titan

by HitokiriKurtai



Category: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, Etrian Odyssey Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:36:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 56,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HitokiriKurtai/pseuds/HitokiriKurtai
Summary: A collection of short interludes that I'll be writing for my Let's Play of Etrian Odyssey IV.  A year has passed since the events of Armoroad.  Kurohana, the Guild of the Black Flower, resume their journey to Tharsis but are interrupted by the appearance of a familiar foe...
Kudos: 4





	1. A Mishap

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters will be updated every time I upload a new LP episode to my YouTube channel. If you want to watch those, there's a link in my profile along with a Character Intro page which has a few pictures of the cast.
> 
> Like before, the Character Voices are just for fun and how I imagine how the characters sound when they talk.

The spirit of exploration. The ever driving force that pushes us onward. Across verdant fields and through perilous mountains. Into the depths of the sea and the endless horizon, the burning desire for knowledge pervades our every action.

Be it for fame and riches. Be it for honor and glory. Or perhaps only for morbid curiosity. Regardless of the reason, the path is the same. As long as mysteries exist within this world, humanity will always strive to seek their answers, regardless of what stands in their path.

In this region, one such mystery presented itself. Ten years ago, a strange ship crashed landed near the city of Tharsis, the closest settlement to the massive tree known as Yggdrasil. No one knew where this ship had come from. Although most of the advanced technology used to create this sky-bound ship was lost, the Wharf Master of Tharsis managed to create a new, albeit more primitive version of the design. With the mystery of the skyship still looming in the air, the Outland Count issued a challenge to all who would hear it: use the new skyships to travel to Yggdrasil, find its original creator's and establish relations.

Outside of Tharsis, one such ship was bringing along a new slew of travelers to the city. Explorers, merchants, and sightseers alike boarded this skyward vessel. And below the deck, peering outside one of the many windows, a young Landsknecht quietly watched the scenery below.

"Hey Reika, see anything interesting?"

"Mm, Onii-chan!"

This girl, Reika [CV: Yui Horie], greeted the musclebound knight, Aedric Navarre. [CV: Yuuki Ono]

Although there was no blood connection between them, they referred to each other as siblings. These two shared that special bond not just between themselves, but to the rest of their guild members as well. They belonged to a guild called Kurohana, the Guild of the Black Flower. This guild had traveled the world far and wide, seeking out the Yggdrasil trees and discovering the secrets within. From Etria to High Lagaard to Armoroad, they had become local legends to these regions. And with each successful exploration, their bond only grew stronger.

It had been one year since the guild had defeated the great evil that lay deep in the world's depths, the Abyssal God. After taking a well-needed rest, they now set off toward Tharsis to continue their journey.

"You know, you could have had your sword put into the cargo bay. There's no need to carry it around on board," Aedric pointed to the talisman wrapped katana that Reika held at her side.

"Mm! Sora-Onee-chan gave this to me, so I have to keep it safe! Mm!" Reika pouted as she clutched the sword called Tasogare tightly. Aedric simply laughed in response.

"Sorry, sorry! I figured that it might be a bit heavy is all."

"So this is where you two ran off."

The two turned to find another one of their compatriots, the crimson-haired Runemaster Reannan Leraje Faust, Princess of Valiente. [CV: Risa Taneda]

"Yo, Princess. Something wrong?"

"Nothing of the sort. I'm just surprised that you're watching the lands through that window rather than up top with the others."

"Mm, too windy."

"Ah, I suppose I can't argue with that."

"No kidding! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror yet? Your hair is all over the place!"

Reannan quickly began to comb her hair with her fingers while flashing an embarrassed expression. After a brief moment, the Princess continued.

"It won't be long now before we reach Tharsis. It appears as though this journey might be longer than we anticipated."

"Hm? How do you figure?"

"It turns out that the tree is--"

"Mm? What's wrong with that girl over there?"

Aedric and Reannan halted their conversation and looked toward the young girl their little sister pointed to. Walking alone on the skyship was a purple-haired girl wearing glasses. She looked no older than Reika and wore a rather troubled expression on her face. She glanced around nervously as she sobbed lightly. [CV: Yukari Tamura]

"...Mama..."

Not wasting any time, Aedric quickly approached the girl.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or do I see a lady without an escort. As a knight and hero, I cannot let this stand."

"...Lady? Eh?"

With an exaggerated motion, Aedric twisted his hand and opened it, producing a flower he found in a nearby vase.

"For the lady."

"Th-thank you..." the girl smiled as she peered into her flower.

"So what are you doing here all alone? Did you lose your mom and dad?"

The girl shook her head.

"Papa isn't here and Mama is back in town. I just... I just wanted to ride in the skyship so I..."

"Ah, say no more! This reminds me of when I first left home myself. You, my lady, have what it takes to be a great adventurer!"

"Me? An adventurer?"

"Of course! Despite being scared, you took that first step to accomplish your dreams. That, right there, is hero material! You should be proud! Now, if it isn't a problem, would you like to spend the rest of the trip with us? We promise to escort you back home once we arrive in Tharsis."

"...Is that okay?"

"Of course it is! Oh! But before I forget..."

Aedric then knelt before the girl and held her hand.

"Would the lady be so kind as to grant me the privilege of hearing her name?"

The girl stood there bewildered for a moment before laughing.

"My name is Manami. But everyone calls me Mana."

"As of this moment, you are one of us! Welcome to the crew, Mana!"

Manami continued to smile as Aedric began to cheer loudly. Suddenly, Reika ran up to her and began pulling her hand.

"Come on, Mana-chan! Let's play somewhere, mm!"

"O-Okay!"

The two took off and ran deeper into the ship.

"Hey! Don't run off too far!" Reannan called out to them.

"Let them be. That girl needs some cheering up. Besides, it's not often that Reika gets to play with someone her age."

"Heh. Always acting as the hero."

"What can I say? It's in my blood."

"Heeeeeeeey! Reannan! Are you down here?" a voice called out. Walking down from the stairs to the deck was the Dancer, Elana Faraye. [CV: Ayane Sakura] She began waving to the pair as soon as she spotted them.

"Oh good, you found Aedric too. Where's Reika at?"

"She just ran off to play with a new friend."

"Good for her. Anyway, we're finally in view of Yggdrasil. I thought you two might want to take a look."

The two glanced at each other. They didn't have much else to do down below the deck so they decided to take Elana up on her offer and followed her topside. The first thing they noticed was the wind. A sudden gust shot forth, messing up their hair. Elana giggled as they both began to frantically comb it back into place. They continued to follow her to the edge of the ship where the other two guild members were currently standing. These two being the Landsknecht Faedyn Quartz [CV: Rina Satou] and the Sniper Olga Ivanov. [CV: Kana Ueda]

There, far off in the distance was the guild's destination, the Yggdrasil tree. It's massive form stretched throughout the horizon.

"Impressive as always," Aedric whistled.

"And just as dangerous too, I'd imagine," Faedyn added.

"Well, it looks like we still have quite a ways to go before we reach Tharsis."

"Hm? Didn't Rean tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Sorry, we got interrupted a bit down below," Reannan apologized before pointing out a city off in the distance, "That is Tharsis."

Aedric looked at the city, then back at the tree. He did this several times before speaking.

"Wait... that's the closest city to Yggdrasil?"

"Right. We'll have to walk the rest of the way while clearing the way for the skyships. As I said, this is going to be a long journey."

"So, the skyships can't get past those mountains?"

"I can answer that one," Olga spoke up, "These skyships are powered by a special kind of ore. Unfortunately, the ships can only go so high with the amount of power that they provide. Soaring over the mountains is an impossible task unless we find something much stronger. Of course, there is another way through the mountains, however..."

"However, there is a barrier that prevents further entry. Not even explorers walking on foot can progress any further beyond these lands," Elana finished.

"I did hear from a soldier a while ago that they are exploring a natural labyrinth close by to the barrier. They believe that it may hold some clues to breaching it," Faedyn added.

"So, what you're saying is that we not only have to explore the tree but the entire continent as well?"

Upon asking that question, Aedric fisted his palm with a wide grin.

"I like it!"

"I know that we aren't on a time limit, but I'd prefer not to spend a lifetime searching for the path forward."

"Oh come on, Fae-Fae! I'm sure that you're just as excited as I am to explore the unknown and discover things lost for centuries."

"Again, stop calling me that. That aside... I won't say that you're wrong."

The group laughed cheerfully, each of them looking forward to the journey ahead. It seemed as though everything was looking up for them, until...

"...Wait, isn't that...?"

Olga spoke up, causing the others to follow her gaze. Off in the distance soaring high above them was a familiar sight. With its massive wings and devilish red appearance, there was no mistaking it. This was the creature the party had come to know as the Wyrm. It continued to fly about the land, not paying any mind to the skyship that occupied the same space.

"I guess we should have figured that the dragons would be here as well..." Faedyn sighed.

"...Wait. That Elder Dragon mentioned that they revive periodically, right? You don't suppose that this is the same one we've fought before, right?" Aedric pointed out.

"Considering that the ones in Armoroad held a grudge against us, that would pose a problem if it saw us..." Shortly after Reannan said this, she waved to a crew member.

"Excuse me, but is that a common occurrence?"

"Ah, you mean the Great Dragon? It suddenly appeared about a year ago. It made a real mess of things back then to the point that we can only have so many skyships out at a time. As long as we keep our distance, it should ignore us, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Uh, guys? I think it just made eye contact with me!" Aedric suddenly shouted.

Sure enough, the dragon's head turned toward the skyship. Its eyes narrowed in anger as flames seeped out of its maw. It then began its approach. The passengers of the ship flew into a chaotic frenzy as the party could do nothing but watch as the creature drew closer.

"Everyone! Listen up!" Aedric shouted, "Anyone who cannot fight, get below the deck and find a safe place away from this side of the deck. Reannan, Faedyn, Elana! You three can use magic so try to hold it off for as long as you can. Olga and I will make our way to the cargo bay to get our equipment. We'll be back in three minutes tops!"

The Great Dragon flew past the ship, sending a massive gust of air onto the deck, nearly knocking everyone over. Once they regained their footing, Aedric and Olga both bolted toward the stairs. The dragon slowly descended to greet its adversaries as Elana struck a pose.

"Song No. 4: The Upcoming Battle."

Several runes materialized around the songstress, each playing a musical tune. She then began to dance along and began to sing runic words. The runes flew about the air, inscribing themselves wherever Elana wished. The ship itself began to harden considerably, becoming strong enough to become considered a flying fortress. Other runes spun around Reannan and Faedyn, powering them up while several others danced about the tune, forming into icycles that began to launch themselves at the Great Dragon.

"I see that the 'Witch of Ruin' hasn't lost her touch!" Faedyn commented as she used her mana to freeze the air around her and launched frozen orbs or her own. She wasn't exactly a dedicated mage, only dabbling in magic as a jack-of-all-trades sort. But if it was for stalling this beast until she could get her sword, then it would be enough. As these two continue to assault the dragon, Reannan focused on disrupting the flow of mana from inside of its own body.

"Weakness!"

Reannan snapped her fingers, the method she usually used to cast curse magic, using the snapping noise as a trigger of sorts. However, the dragon showed no reaction to the curse.

"Dammit! Its Od is far thicker than I thought..." she cursed. Reannan herself wasn't exactly a normal mage either. Normally, mana is filtered through the body to create Od, which is then used for spells. However, she did not possess the capability of doing this. Instead, she focused on absorbing mana from her environment at tremendous speeds, far faster than any other mage alive could manage. In terms of power, Reannan was among the weakest of all mages. In terms of mana manipulation and speed casting, she was at the top of her field.

Unfortunately for her, none of the spells she knew would have any effect on this creature, let alone be capable of harming it. This was a situation where she was definitely out of her element. All she could do was steady her breathing and use the Qi techniques that she learned in Armoroad to keep the other two healed up.

The dragon began to thrash about, slamming its claws into the ship and shaking it about. If it weren't for Elana's rune magic, the ship would have crashed by now. However, chunks of the ship were already starting to show damage. At this rate, the ship wouldn't hold out long enough for the other two to return. Feeling desperate to try anything, Reannan began to watch Elana very carefully. She listened to the words coming from her mouth and took careful note of what the runes looked like before they disappeared.

The ship shook again. It was now or never. Reannan froze the air directly in front of her, creating a thin sheet of ice. She then bit down hard onto her finger, drawing blood and focusing her Qi through it. She then began to write upon the icy sheet, forming several different characters: ᛁᚾᚷᛇᛈᚺᚢᛏ . The runes gave off a dull glow as Reannan focused as much mana into her hand and slammed it against the sheet, using the still lingering Qi as a conductor of sorts.

"Isa Nauðr Gyfu Eihwaz Peorð Haglaz Uruz Tiwaz!"

The ice sheet shattered, its shards were sucked into the runes that continued to float in mid-air. Suddenly, they all let out a bright light and formed into several large spears made of frost. All at once, the spears launched themselves toward the dragon. They all had a far greater effect than imagined as each of them pierced through its hide, one of which grazed past one of its eyes. The dragon screeched and howled before backing away from the ship. With what appeared to be a look of irritation on its face, it then turned around and flew away.

"We... won...?" Reannan looked dumbstruck as she watched it flee.

"That was impressive, Princess!" Elana cheered, "Was that your first time using rune magic? It looks like you have quite a knack for it."

"W-well it was the only thing I could think to try."

"Oh, don't be so shy about it! Although, next time you don't need to say the names of the runes. Inscribing them is enough. Of course, I have to say them out loud due to how my song inscriptions work."

Suddenly, the ship shook again as a loud explosion went off. Smoke billowed out of the stairs leading down into the ship as passengers began to flood out.

"Damn! It must have hit one of the engines!" Faedyn kicked the ground as she said this.

"I guess there's no choice then," Elana clapped her hands together and whistled as loud as she could, "Alright everyone! Come over here! I'm going to create a protective field so we can all get out of here safely!"

~=====~

As Aedric and Olga continued to reach the cargo hold, an explosion rang out and the halls filled with black smoke.

"Damn! It's one thing after another!" Aedric complained as he covered his nose and mouth.

"The dragon! It's leaving!" Olga called out after she opened a nearby window.

"Wow, they actually pulled that off. But with all this smoke..."

Aedric pondered for a moment before making a decision.

"Change of plans. You head back and get as many people as you can topside. You're faster than me and have better vision. I'm going to head down further and get the rest, I should be able to handle more smoke than you. Besides, you didn't happen to see Reika or a little girl with glasses, did you?"

"I didn't. You don't think--"

"They're probably still up ahead. You hurry on, I'll catch up."

Olga quickly nodded and ran off back the way the two came. Aedric pressed on further into the ship. The further in he went, the thicker the smoke got. He didn't see anyone else in the area, but he had to make sure.

"Reika! Mana! Are you here?!"

"M-mister! O-over here!"

Aedric caught Manami's voice and hurried toward it. There he found a frantic young girl looking over a knocked out Reika. A wooden pillar had fallen onto her, wedging her onto the floor.

"S-she pushed me out of the way! It's all my fault!"

"Don't beat yourself over it. Any of us would have done the same in her position."

Aedric grabbed the pillar and shoved it off of his little sister. He then picked her up and held her in his arms.

"Good job, sis. I'm gonna praise the hell out of you later. Mana, you jump onto my back. I'm going to carry both of you out of here."

"O-okay!"

Manami quickly latched herself onto the knight. Once it was clear that she had a good grip, he began to run. Aedric made special note of the path he took to get here so he could get out as quickly as possible. Soon, he reached the stairs and his eyes were bombarded with bright sunlight. He then saw everyone else on the ship on the far side.

"Aedric!" Reannan called out to him.

"Hey! We're--"

Another explosion went off. This one was large enough that the entire ship split into several sections flying off in every direction. The ship piece that Aedric, Reika, and Manami were on flew off toward the mountains at a ludicrous speed.

"Tch! Reið Ansuz Algiz!"

The runes of ᚱᚨᛉ flew from Elana's mouth and latched onto the ship piece, forming a protective barrier around them. At the same time, Elana quickly scribbled the same runes onto their fragment as they rapidly fell toward the ground. Before Reannan could say anything, their ship struck the ground and everything went black.

~=====~

Reannan awoke some time afterward. She found herself lying on her back in a carriage of some sort. As she stirred herself to get up, she noticed the presence of two people who sat beside her. One of them was Elana, the other was a male Medic. The Medic was the first to notice her move and sighed a breath of relief. [CV: Tomokazu Sugita]

"Finally awake, are you?"

Elana quickly turned toward the Princess.

"Reannan! Thank God you're finally awake!"

"Yeah... my head hurts a little, but I'm fine. Where are we? What happened?"

Reannan looked at her surroundings. Everyone who was on the skyship was walking alongside a caravan.

"We took a rather nasty fall. Thanks to the barrier, injuries were kept to a minimum, but you hit your head and got knocked out. Dr. Hughes here watched over you the entire time."

"...Isaac is fine. It feels awkward to hear people call me by my last name," Isaac said as he continued to look ahead. Elana gave a light smile before continuing.

"Anyway, everything we had on the ship has been lost. Luggage, merchandise, and our gear, all of it lost to the wilds. A caravan just so happened to be passing by the area and hurried toward us. As for the others, Olga is watching the back while Faedyn is up at the front. We practically had to tear her away from you. It was kind of cute, hehe."

"I see. And what about the other three?"

"...We don't know."

Reannan felt her heart sink. She immediately began to stand up.

"Calm down! I'm sure they're fine! I put the same kind of barrier around them that was around us. Aedric is strong and Reika can handle herself. I'm sure they'll keep that little girl safe as well. Wherever they are, we are sure to find them."

Reannan stopped in her tracks and slowly sank back down, letting out a long drawn-out breath in the process.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. They wouldn't die so easily. However, we'll have to find Mana's parents in town and let them know what happened to their daughter. I can't say that I'm looking forward to that."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Speaking of..."

A large shadow covered the carriage as it passed under the front gates of Tharsis. Unlike the previous times they arrived in a city, the citizen were not going about their daily business. Rather, multiple groups were watching as the caravan entered. All at once, people ran toward each other, hugging each other tightly.

"It looks like my job here is done," Isaac said, stepping off the carriage and walking into town, "Enjoy the limelight, heroes."

Various people walked up to the guild, thanking them for what they did on the ship. As they did so, Reannan kept a careful eye on the townspeople that were present.

"...I don't see them."

"You mean that girl's parents?"

"I suppose she did say that she snuck aboard the ship. At this rate, we might have to wait for a request to be put up at the bar."

Reannan stretched her weary body and stepped off the carriage alongside Elana.

"Excuse me, could you point us in the direction of the Explorer's Guild?" she asked one of the nearby soldiers.

"Ah, I should have figured you lot for explorers. Yes, if you follow that street down there, you'll run right into it. You can't miss it. May I ask what your guild name is?"

"It's Kurohana. It means 'Black Flower'."

"Kurohana, eh? I'll be sure to remember that one."

After thanking the soldier, Reannan hailed the other two guild members.

"Glad to see you're alright, Rean. So, what's our next move?" Faedyn asked.

"We'll need to head to the Explorer's Guild first and get registered. Ashley should be somewhere over there as well so we'll need to report everything to them as well."

"Ashley, huh? ...Do we really have to?"

"They're not bad people, you know. They might have a good idea of the situation in this region as well. We need all the information we can get if we want to find Aedric, Reika, and Mana."

"You're right about that. I just hope we don't get stuck with another weirdo."

~=====~

"So, are you new explorers? Welcome to Tharsis," the brawny guild master greeted the women, "This is the Explorers Guild, where your kind pools their talents. It's something like a mutual aid society."

"Yes, we are quite familiar with the concept. We are of Kurohana, a traveling guild," Reannan greeted back, taking charge and acting as the representative of the group.

"Hoh, experts, eh? Well then, just write your names into this ledger and we'll make it official."

As the four women began to write their names down, the guild master pulled out a letter and handed it to Reannan.

"This is a letter of introduction that'll get you into an audience with the Count. To become fully accredited explorers, you must complete the Outland Count's initiation mission. Although, I'm sure explorers such as yourselves are used to that."

"Yes, quite. Thank you very much. And this might seem like a strange question, but are there any strange or unusual doors around here?"

"Unusual doors? What do you mean?"

"It's alright if you don't understand. I just thought I'd ask."

"Rean, over there," Faedyn quickly tapped on Reannan's shoulder and pointed to a nearby pillar. Sure enough, there was a very conspicuous door wrapped around it. It stood out so much that it was hard to believe that they had missed it beforehand.

"...What about that door?"

"Hm? That one...? Hmm, I don't think I've ever noticed that before. I'm sure there's nothing behind it."

"I thought as much. Thank you again," Reannan sighed as the group headed toward the door.

"...I really have to ask Ashley how that mind barrier works," Elana commented to herself.

The barrier around the door was a simple one. Unless someone was involved with the Kurohana guild or had business with the dimensional mage known as Ashley, subliminal messages would flood their mind. 'There is nothing of interest here' or 'this door is not strange at all' would be such examples. Opening the door led to a much larger room, the office of the current Ashley. The Ashleys had a tendency to travel through different dimensions, often swapping places with one another much to the annoyance of their employees. This Ashley in particular was a woman garbed in what could be described as a military officer. She rapidly tapped her pointer finger on her desk as she watched the guild members walk through her door. [CV: Yuka Iguchi]

"You're late! All of you, get over here and stand in a single file line!"

The women quickly did as their clearly annoyed guild leader demanded. Grabbing a few portfolios from her desk, Ashley walked over and looked them over.

"Huh? Only four? I could have sworn there was a lot more of you. What? Did the others piss themselves and run home?"

"We had an accident on the way over," Reannan explained.

"Oh, an accident, you say? How dreadful."

"Our skyship was attacked by a dragon. The ship exploded and we were separated from the others."

"I see, I see. So, they're lost in the wilderness somewhere, is that right? Well, whatever. If they're not here then that's their problem, not mine."

"...You could show a little bit of concern for them."

"And why should I do that? If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not, you all have a pet monster that makes sure that none of you die. What's there to worry about?"

"Marie is not a monster!" Olga shouted angrily, "She is one of our guild members!"

"A monster is a monster. That thing is a creature beyond our understanding and cannot be relied upon. But, if it truly has a problem with my words, then I'm sure it can show up here whenever it wants and correct me."

A brief moment passed. Ashley snickered as she closed in on Olga.

"Never trust a non-human. Your life will be much simpler that way, alright?"

Olga could do nothing but glare at this woman.

"Save some of that fire for the battlefield, okay? Now then, as for your mission."

Ashley walked away from the group and leaned on her desk.

"The mission is the same as usual. Get to the tree, explore it, destroy the core. I can't be bothered to care about this one way or another. This world is damned anyway."

She then tossed the portfolios behind her, scattering the pages all over.

"This is supposed to be nothing but a pit stop for me. I'm not really a fan of these high fantasy worlds. I hope the next one hurries up and replaces me."

"What do you mean by 'this world is damned'?" Reannan asked.

"This world was done for the moment an eldritch being crash-landed here. You might not be able to see it, but its taint has already spread much further than you think."

"...You mean the Abyssal God? But we killed it!"

"Did you now? If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not, all you did was destroy its physical body. Things like that don't die so easily. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later. If I were you all, I'd find a nice place to retire and live out the rest of your lives in peace. The fate of this world is already sealed."

"...'For those who accept their fate'," Olga whispered.

"'May you be granted happiness'," Elana continued.

"'For those who defy it...!'" Faedyn shouted.

"'GLORY!'" Reannan finished. The four women stood their ground as those who will not give up. Ashley stood there in silence for a moment before breaking out into a grin.

"Good answer! You all pass! In that case, go out there, defy your fates until your very last breaths and prove my words wrong! Meeting adjourned."

The four turned their backs and exited out the door they came through.

"...I really don't like that woman," Olga muttered.

"I heard that!"

As the last one out, Olga slammed the door behind her.

"Eh? Did they just walk out of that door?"

After exiting the office the group found Isaac talking with the guild master.

"I suppose they did."

"And... you don't find that strange at all?"

"Why would I find it strange? It's just a door."

"It's wrapped around a pillar and there's no way they could all fit in there! You should be asking more questions!"

"Now, now. There's no reason to be upset."

"I'm not... nevermind that. You four, you're the Kurohana guild, correct?"

"You've heard of us?" Reannan asked.

"You're the talk of the town, you know. Not only did you save the lives of everyone on that ship, but a few of them were rather influential merchants. Word around here spreads pretty fast, you know. And so, I was thinking of a way to pay you all back, seeing as how you saved my life and all."

"Let me guess, you came here to join our guild? That would explain why you're able to notice that door," Elana gave a sly smile as she said this.

"Huh? What does that... nevermind. You are correct, though. I did notice that none of you seem to be experienced in the medical arts and so I thought that I might lend a hand. Is that alright?"

"Of course! There's no way that we would turn down such an offer, right?"

The other three nodded in response.

"I believe I've introduced myself before, but I am Dr. Isaac Hughes. Feel free to just call me Isaac."

"Reannan Leraje Faust. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Faedyn Quartz, likewise."

"Olga Ivanov, sir!"

"Elana Faraye, let's get along, okay?"

"Hm, indeed. So then, what's our first job?"

"I guess now we need to head to the Outland Count before we can be officially recognized as explorers. Do you know the way, Isaac?"

"Of course, I do live here, I'll have you know. Just follow me."

The group of five exited the Explorer's Guild. However, just as soon as they left the building...

"Ah, so it is you~! I heard that the Kurohana guild was in town. Come to explore yet another tree? I thought you'd all give that up a long time ago, ufufuun~!"

The group was suddenly met with a familiar sight. In front of them was a former guild member, a succubus, and ex-princess of hell, Julianna Hayami. [CV: Satomi Koorogi] Besides her stood a small purple-haired child with an equally smug expression across her face. [CV: Mika Kanai]

"Khh... you...!"

"That's right. It is I, the eternally beautiful wife who broke the hearts and dreams of men everywhere~! Julianna Hayami! Ufufuun~! I'm glad that you still remember me, Princess~!"

"...Of course I do. I'm sure you remember this as well," Reannan lifted her hand as she glared at the demon.

"Ah...! Right, I forgot that your eyes were a little scary...!"

"No! No bullying my Mama!" the little girl shouted as she stood between Reannan and her mother.

"MAMA?!" Olga shouted as she looked over the little girl.

"Olga! Long time no see~! I'm surprised that you're still hanging around with these clowns~!"

"Haha, and I see that getting married hasn't changed that... unique personality of yours. So, this girl is--"

"That's right~! This is my darling 2nd child, Beatrice! Unlike Sora, she takes after me, isn't that great~?"

"...Ah, I feel a little sorry for Jubei. Anyway, if you're here, does that mean Jubei and Sora are as well?"

"Unfortunately not. Jubei suddenly decided to go into the mountains for some training and Sora, wanting to be just like her papa, followed after him. So the answer was obvious, time to go on vacation~! No point in hanging around the house waiting for them to come home, am I right~? I heard that the view of the tree here was amazing, but all it's giving me are bad memories of High Lagaard. Aaaaaah, what a letdown!"

"Then, the reason why you came to the Explorer's Guild was--"

"To laugh at you all, of course! What kind of idiots willingly go into those cursed trees not once but FOUR TIMES?! Kyahahahaha!!"

"Ohohoho!" Beatrice joined in on her mother's laughter.

"Ah, it's so funny~. Now that I think about it, where's the meathead and the brat? Aren't they usually with you, Princess?"

"...We got attacked by a dragon on the skyship ride over here and we got separated."

"...Sky...ship..." Beatrice repeated with a look of fear on her face.

"Pffffft! KYAHAHAHA!! Just how cursed can you all be?! Ah, wait until Mana hears about this one, right Beato? Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Ma... Mama... Please don't get mad..."

"Now, now. Why would I be mad at my little girl?"

"Mana... she made me promise not to tell. She really, REALLY, wanted to ride on one of the skyships. She promised that she would be right back before you would notice, so I..."

"...Eh?"

All color drained from Julianna's face. She immediately latched onto Reannan's shoulders with a frantic look to her face.

"Please... tell me... did you all happen to see a little girl on that ship. Purple hair, glasses, and a little shy? Actually, tell me that you didn't see her. Please, tell me that my daughter was not on that ship!!"

"...I did see her."

"...Ah!"

"But it's okay! She was with Aedric and Reika. I'm sure that she's fine!"

"...How can you say that for certain? Because you believe in them?"

"Yes, I believe in them. Besides, your daughter is half-demon anyway. Isn't she immortal like you?"

"...Did you really just ask that?"

"Huh?"

"Did you just imply that it's okay for my daughter to die, just because she's immortal?!"

"That's not--"

"Yes, you're right! Just like me, if my daughters die in this realm, they'll come back to life in Hell. I'm not sure if Sora told you this, but half-demons are viewed as abominations. They're hated, scorned, and brutally beaten, just because they exist. If she dies, I don't have an easy way to fetch her, not anymore. And by the time I do get down there, years could have passed for her. Can you imagine that girl, surviving down there, in a land where even her aunts and grandmother want her to suffer while she cries for me to save her? Now, tell me again that it's okay for my daughter to die. I dare you!"

"That wasn't what I meant..."

"...I know. I just needed to vent a bit. I apologize."

"...Mama..." Beatrice held her mother close as Julianna shook her fist.

"...That settles it then, I'm going with you."

"You're---"

"Don't try to stop me. I can't rest until I see my daughter safe and in my arms."

"...I know that we have our differences but we both feel the same about this situation. I worry about Reika the same as you do about Mana."

Reannan extended her hand toward Julianna.

"Let's put those aside for now and work together."

Julianna quickly grasped her hand and forced a smile.

"Just so you know, the second we find Mana, I'm out. I'm looking forward to working with you, Princess."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, demon."

The two tightened their grips on each other as Beatrice cheered.

"Yay! Mama has a new friend!"

"I wouldn't exactly call them that..." Faedyn muttered.

~=====~

"Ngggg..."

Aedric slowly opened his eyes. Unfamiliar trees clouded his vision as streams of light peeked through the foliage. As he slowly got up, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Onii-chan! You're awake!"

Reika leaped down from a nearby tree and Manami hurried over from its base.

"I'm glad to see that you two are alright. By the way, where are--Khhhh!"

Aedric suddenly held his side due to a sharp sting of pain. There he found a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, still lightly caked in blood.

"Ah! Don't move around too much!" Manami pleaded, "You landed on something sharp and... and there was blood... everywhere... heh."

"Mm, it looks like we're past the mountains. Can't get past the barrier, mm."

"I see. I think I get the gist of our situation. So, you two patched me up, right. Thanks for that."

"Mm, Mana-chan knows more about that stuff than me, mm. But... uh..."

"I have bandages in my pack for emergencies. I was looking around for some medicinal herbs that we can use, but I don't recognize these plants. So, we'll have to do a bit of trial and error, you don't mind, right?"

"Uh... as long as it doesn't kill me, I'm willing to try anything."

"Good! I might need a few more blood samples so I need you to... bleed... again. Don't worry! Your blood isn't infected or anything, I made sure of that."

Manami then licked her lips.

"It was quite delicious. Are you of a royal bloodline or something?"

"Oh, nothing like that. I'm sixth in line to a bloodline of... eh? Did you just say that you drank my blood?"

"I did~!"

"...I mean, this isn't the first time someone tried to drink it, I guess. What are you, some kind of vampire?"

"Eh? No, I'm a half-succubus."

"A succ... Well, I suppose this isn't the first time we've seen a half-demon either... Wait a second..."

Aedric took a closer look at Manami and even pulled off her glasses.

"Purple hair... yellow cat slit eyes... Your parents wouldn't happen to be named Jubei and Julianna, would they?"

Manami's eyes widened.

"You know Mama and Papa?"

"I thought so. So, you're another one of their kids. I'm... not jealous at all. But yes, we're members of the Kurohana guild, the same guild that your parents were part of. I am the legendary hero, Aedric Navarre! Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"No, not at all."

"...Not even a little? Like from your dad."

"Haven't heard of you."

Aedric took this news hard and held his face in his palm.

"Jubei... my brother. You wound me..."

"...Oh! Does that mean that you're Reika-Onee-chan?! Sora talks about you all the time!" Manami shouted excitedly.

"Good for you Reika. You've finally gained recognition. Your brother is proud of you..."

"Mm... You shouldn't wear your emotions on your sleeve, Onii-chan."

"Right you are!"

Aedric quickly stood up, only slightly wincing at the pain.

"Ghhh... It's not that bad. I've had worse. I'd say our first course of action is to look around and find some shelter. Who knows, maybe there are locals living on this side of the mountains."

"But... the barrier..." Manami looked at the mountain. In response, Aedric patted her on the head.

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure the others will find a way through it with your mom in tow. I'll make sure to keep you safe in the meantime. I may not have a weapon, but I still got this fancy gauntlet. It repels anything made of metal away from me. I'm sure I'll find something to use as we go along."

"Mm! And I still have Tasogare with me!"

"See! You're in good hands, Mana. The best thing we can do now is survive, clear the way for the others and make as much noise as possible so they'll find us faster. You'll see your mom again before you know it, I promise."

Manami nodded. With a grin, Aedric pointed in a random direction.

"Alright! Let's start by going that way! Hopefully, we'll find something edible along the way. Let's make the best of it, alright?"

"Mm!" "Okay!"

The three headed off deeper into the forest within the Scarlet Pillars. From a distance, a scrawny figure watched them as they proceeded further into his homeland...


	2. The Godhand

The group left the Mark Grand Court and stepped out into the city streets, eager to head to their next destination.

"So we get one of those fancy flying ships, right? What a pain! I can't say I much like flying myself," Julianna complained.

"You don't like flying, Mama?" Beatrice tilted her head as she asked.

"Mama gets airsick real easy, sweetie. It's why we didn't take the ship to Tharsis. But Mama will deal with it if it means finding Mana faster. I'll just... find some dark corner to huddle in."

"I'll join you too, Mama! I don't want you to be lonely!"

"Oooooh~! I'm so lucky to have such a kind and loving daughter~!"

"Hehe!"

While those two had their moment, the others continued ahead.

"...So, you're telling me that those two are demons? Like, actual demons from Hell?" Isaac asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, the mother is a succubus and a rather powerful one at that. If her older sister is any indicator, then the little one is probably fairly strong as well," Reannan explained.

"Well, they certainly don't act the part..."

"Don't be fooled. That demon is as ruthless as they come."

"Aren't you being a little hard on them, Rean?" Faedyn spoke up while looking at the mother-daughter pair behind them, hand in hand.

"I'm just being cautious is all. Besides, we both know that she's an idiot and is bound to do something stupid while looking for the others. We both heard our fair share of her exploits in High Lagaard."

"...You make a good point, but I do feel like Julianna has changed quite a bit. Who knew that finding someone to love would affect her so much. I'm honestly jealous."

"All that aside, does anyone remember where the Cargo Wharf is located?"

" _Indeed, it is located just on the outskirts of town on the south side, Lady Reannan._ "

"Ah, thank you, Ro....EH?!"

Reannan suddenly shouted when she realized who she had just spoken to. Walking alongside the group was the red Yggdroid from Armoroad known as Robro. [CV: Takehito Koyasu]

" _I must say that your reaction did not disappoint, hohoho!_ "

"W-w-wait a minute! How are you able to walk around without people questioning your appearance?! Actually, scratch that! What are you doing here, to begin with?!"

" _Ah, yes. I suppose you would not have heard about it yet. Some time ago, Lady Aisha came by here and learned about the skyships. She threw down quite a hefty sum to modify the Godhand to be capable of flight. And those funds were meant for securing merchandise from this region, so you can imagine how Madam Napier reacted when she found out, hohoho!_ "

Robro laughed for a moment while remembering Edie's face.

" _Ah, but it seemed as though Lady Aisha made the right call. Once she flew into town, Madam Napier's face lit up so brightly that even I had to shield my eyes. From that moment forth, the Godhand began to fly to new lands, creating even more trade opportunities. I've heard tale that Madam Napier plans to leave the Armoroad shop to her sister and make the trip to Lemuria once the expedition starts rolling. I myself decided that I would join Lady Aisha's crew as her head technician. After all, no one else aside from us Yggdroids and a select few here in Tharsis would understand how the skyship works, to begin with. As for my appearance..._ "

A few people walked by the group and nodded to Robro as he bowed back.

" _It appears that the townsfolk here assume that I am just a mysterious stranger who never removes his armor. Hohoho!_ "

"You mean that you aren't wearing armor?!" Isaac shouted, electing Robro to continue his laughter.

" _Heavens no. I am a Dragoon model Yggdroid, an automated soldier created to destroy the great evil that resides deep below the sea. Well, I suppose that duty is done and over. Nowadays, I travel with the Godhand as one of its crewmembers. I was granted the name of life by the Kurohana guild and that name is Robro!_ "

"...Robro? Really?" Julianna gave Reannan a look of disappointment.

"Aedric was the one who named him, not me. And I had such a good name picked out too..." Reannan sighed.

"Robro, is it? Is Lillian in town by chance?" Elana asked the robotic butler.

" _Indeed she is. I believe she should be shopping for groceries with a few of Sir Jaku's copies. That girl is quite talented at picking the freshest of foods, not that I can tell. Hohoho!_ "

"Lillian? Didn't we leave her with you and Gene?" Reannan turned to Elana.

"You did, but shortly after you left we found a note saying that she was going to be a pirate. I was so incredibly worried about her, but Gene insisted that it was fine and that she was old enough to make her own decisions."

Elana then quickly stomped the ground in frustration upon remembering those words.

"For God's sake, she was only eight at the time! What do you mean by she'll be fine?! She's not like you, you battle freak!"

"Uh... Elana?"

"Oh! Sorry about that, I just got carried away~. Anyway, I'm going to head to the shopping district. You all go on ahead without me."

With that, Elana walked away from the group.

" _So that is Lady Elana. My oh my, Lady Lillian will be pleased to see her. Would Sir Gene be in Tharsis, by chance? I have heard many a tale of him myself._ "

"Elana said that he vanished off somewhere. Said that he could be on Mars for all she knows. She doesn't let it show much, but she really misses him too."

Reannan suddenly realized something and turned back to Robro.

"...Where are the other two crewmembers right now?"

" _Oh? Curious as to their whereabouts? Do you wish to reminisce or--_ "

"More like keep them from meeting a certain someone."

Robro seemed puzzled by Reannan's reasoning, but he continued.

" _Very well. Sir Serias is still on board alongside Sir Jaku's main body. As for Lady Aisha, well, who's to say? The moment that she heard that you were in town, she stormed off and said that she had some urgent business to take care of._ "

"...I have a very bad feeling about that."

" _Hohoho! Indeed! Now then, I have my own errands to run so I must bid you all farewell. I am certain that we will all meet again in due time._ "

With a light bow, Robro turned away from the group and walked further into town. Getting a similar feeling, Faedyn turned toward Reannan.

"You don't think..."

"Right, we better get to the wharf before she does..."

~=====~

The group stepped inside of the building south of town to be greeted by workers and merchants alike running about the place while carrying about their tasks with an almost cutthroat fervor. For a short while, they began to wonder where exactly they were supposed to meet with this Wharfmaster they had heard about. Almost on cue, a red-headed man stepped away from his task and approached the group.

"Hey, yeh're the Kurohana Guild, right? Name's Ciaran, nice to meet yeh," he greeted them while lifting his goggles to his forehead.[CV: Tatsuya Hori]

"I am Reannan, likewise. We came here to inquire about the skyship."

"I've already heard the details. Didn't figure yeh'd already had a ship ready to go. Guess I should've expected as much from expert explorers such as yerselves."

"...I knew it," Reannan sighed, "So just out of curiosity, what happened to the ship that was being prepared for us?"

"Cap'n Berosa said that yeh wouldn't need it so we handed it off to another guild. I Gotta say that the Godhand is quite a beaut. It might be one of my finest works yet."

"And just hypothetically, how long would it take to make a new ship?"

"Hm? I'd say it'd take about two weeks at least. We got quite a lot of orders coming in with all the new guilds showing up and all."

"Two weeks..."

"Ahoy there guildies!"

"Geh..."

Strolling up to the group with a rather cheerful expression was the Captain of the Godhand, Aisha Berosa. [CV: Miyuki Sawashiro]

"It's a good thing that I managed to clear up that little misunderstanding. There's no reason for us to have two skyships, now is there?" Aisha laughed while wrapping her arm around Reannan's shoulder. She quickly shifted her tone and lowered her voice, "Walk with me for a moment."

"Right..."

The woman then dragged the group outside of the building so as not to cause any sort of commotion. Once outside, Reannan broke away.

"You have some nerve!"

"Oh, come on! Do any of you even know how to fly those things? I've been piloting my ship for months now, so I'm doing you all a favor here. Besides, we've worked together before so you know that you can rely on me and my crew to get the job done."

"And you're in it for the money, are you not?"

"You sure know how to cut to the chase. Yeah, that's right. Considering that you all conquered that Armoroad Labyrinth in a couple of months, I figured that you'd get to Yggdrasil in no time. With you all tearing through the place, that means that my ship will be the first to reach new lands. And that, of course, means that I get first dibs on whatever new materials we find. I'd be a fool to waste such an opportunity!"

"And you made sure to do that while making sure that we had no other choice."

"Sorry about the underhanded tactics, but money is money. We may be former guild members and all, but that doesn't mean that I won't milk ya for all your worth. But I do have a few stipulations. One, none of my crew members are joining your exploration. I need them at my beck and call at a moment's notice. And two, I have my own schedule to adhere to, so there might be times where I'm not around so you'll have to figure out how to get the labyrinth during those times. I'm sure those Geomagnetic Poles will come in handy for that."

"And why should we do that?" Julianna exploded, "You're the one who took away OUR airship, so you should have to follow our schedule, not yours! And as for profit, you should be begging for our scraps! I don't see why we have to do anything for you!"

"...Hey, Princess, who's this bitch?"

"Excuse me?! That's QUEEN bitch to you! If you're going to try and insult me, look me in the eyes first!"

Aisha gave off a rather bewildered look as Julianna talked back to her. This time she only gave Reannan a look that begged for an explanation.

"I was really hoping that the two of you would never meet..." she sighed, "Aisha, this is Julianna. She's... Sora's mother."

Aisha looked back at Julianna, her face giving off a mixture of complicated emotions.

"...Oh God. So that's why she's like that. That poor girl..."

"What exactly are you implying? If you have a problem with me, then say it. I won't have your words sully my family."

"I'm not implying anything. Just feeling sorry for a girl who has to deal with someone like you on the daily is all."

"Oh, I really don't like the way you phrased that. What? Can't insult me directly so you have to look for other targets for an indirect hit? Maybe you should get that eye checked. I'm standing right here!"

"Heh, you had to go there, didn't you? I can assure you that my vision is just fine. You should get your hearing checked, I've been talking to you this whole time. Or are you too stupid to understand the meaning of what I'm getting at?"

"Nah, I think it's your eye that's the problem. Don't worry, I'm willing to remove it so we can replace it entirely!"

"Hoh, you wanna go? Lucky me, I was getting bored anyway!"

" **ENOUGH!!** "

Reannan's sudden outburst startled Aisha and caused Julianna's body to immediately tense up. The Princess first turned to the Captian.

"Alright, let's make a deal. You can have the first shot at whatever we find. I don't really care about making a profit. But in exchange, you're working for us full time. Any time we need your ship, you will answer. I don't care what time it is or if you didn't sleep well because you drank yourself stupid the previous night. We call, you answer. No exceptions."

"Look, I can't really--"

Reannan grabbed Aisha by the collar and pulled her close enough so she could get a good look at her crimson eyes.

"We're in a hurry here. I don't give a damn about what other arrangements you have. You don't leave Tharsis unless I say so. And if you still have a problem with that, then we'll commandeer your ship. It's not like you can stop me. So, what will it be?"

"Y-you know, that stuff earlier, it was just a little joke..." Aisha's eye slowly drifted off to the side as she spoke.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Also, don't look away when I'm talking to you. Understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am."

Reannan let go of Aisha and turned to Julianna, who gave off a small yelp as she approached. Reannan said nothing to the succubus, she only placed her hand upon her head and lightly gripped it.

" **AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!** "

The Princess then turned Julianna's head so that their eyes would meet. She said nothing and only stared at her for a few brief moments.

"I don't think I need to say anymore, do I?"

"N-n-n-no! I-I g-got the m-m-message!"

"Good."

Reannan loosed her grip and dropped her hand to her side. She then took in a deep breath.

"Ah! I feel so much better now! Come now, everyone! Let's go check out the new skyship."

Reannan cheerfully walked away with Faedyn and Olga slowly walking behind her. Faedyn was familiar with Reannan's outbursts and had seen them first hand, so this didn't come as too much of a surprise to her. Olga, on the other hand, had only heard about them. After living with her for a year and seeing all the stress she was building up while attempting to keep up her naive Princess persona while at home, she figured that Reannan would lose it sooner or later. The others just hung back as the three left.

"Tell me, was she always that scary?" Aisha asked, wiping some sweat from her brow.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Julianna repeated over and over again.


	3. The Lost Party

Deep in the woods of the Scarlet Pillars, the party consisting of Aedric, Reika, and Manami marched on. Quite some time ago, they began to follow their ears to the sound of flowing water, not only to secure fresh water but to find potential game as well. Depending on the river itself, it could provide many more boons to their travels as well. Soon enough, they finally exited the sea of trees to be greeted with a large river that stretched far and wide. Without wasting any time, both Aedric and Reika ran up to it and began drinking the water.

"Don't drink that! What if you get sick?!" Manami called out to them.

""Hm?"" the two both turned their heads with their mouths still filled with water.

"That water could be contaminated. Who knows what might be crawling around in it. A bear might have peed there!"

This comment forced Reika to immediately spit out her water. Aedric, on the other hand, paid it no mind.

"Eh, water is water. If I get diarrhea later on then it's my own fault."

"That's gross, Onii-chan, mm."

"Hey, mother nature gives and she takes. A cruel mistress is she. But yeah, you do have a point, Mana. I don't suppose that you have a container in that pack of yours?"

"Sorry, I only have some bandages, a few snacks, and a sketchbook."

"Hey, no problem. We can't always be prepared for something like this."

He then turned back toward the woods and glanced about as though looking for something.

"I don't think we're in heavy need of water at the moment, but if you two see any large branches or a log, let me know. I might be able to fashion a bowl or something to store it in and we can boil it the next time we set up camp."

Aedric next set his eyes on the river itself and followed its path to the west.

"It looks like the river flows between those two cliffs. If I were to guess, I'd say that it probably leads through the mountains and back to Tharsis.

"You mean we can get back that way?" Manami asked excitedly. Unfortunately, Aedric shook his head.

"Sorry to get your hopes up, but I doubt it. If you look closely, you can see that there aren't any safe paths to walk alongside the river. In other words, if we were to follow it, we would need a boat. Not to mention, we can't actually see what it's like further in. There could be jagged rocks that would tear apart anything that we built. And to top it all off, there's no guarantee that the hole between the mountains is even large enough for us to fit through. In fact, I highly doubt that it is. Otherwise, other adventurers would have been here long before we arrived."

"Oh..." this was all that Manami could say after hearing the explanation. As she looked at the ground, Aedric approached and patted her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure that we could come up with a hundred other plans to escape. Isn't that right, Reika?"

"Mm, what about that pole thing in the river there?"

Aedric's eyes followed where Reika was pointing. Sure enough, right in the middle of the river, a Geomagnetic Pole was stretching out into the sky above.

"Oh! Nice find!"

Aedric was about to jump for joy before he began to think about how they would get over there. It was far, too far to swim. Aedric himself could probably reach it, but there was no chance that these small girls could make the trip. And that wasn't even accounting for what could be lurking about in the waters. Once again, it came down to the fact that they would need a boat to reach their destination. And that wasn't the only problem...

"...We're not attuned to the pole back in Tharsis, so I don't think this one will take us there," Aedric said with a dour look. Again, the girls looked down in disappointment. Aedric forced a smile to attempt to bring morale back up. As long as he was here, he would not allow these two to lose hope.

"What's with the long faces? The fact that we found it is good enough. Once the barrier goes down, I'm sure plenty of explorers will be using that thing. All we have to do is be on the lookout for a ship that's searching for us. Also, Reika."

"Mm?"

"In all the labyrinths we've explored, has there ever been only one Geomagnetic Pole?"

"...Ah! There's always been more! Mm!"

"You got that right! All we have to do is keep looking. Once we find another one, we can set up a campsite and wait for our rescue!"

"But..." Manami started to speak but stopped.

"Hm? What is it, Mana?"

"...How long will it take for them to get here? It's been 10 years since they started the exploration..."

"Well, I'll have you know that the last labyrinth we took out was being explored for almost a century, and we took care of it in a few months, er, technically longer with the time looping and all. I'm sure that Sora told you all about that."

"Oh! She did!"

"See! And now with you two missing... Reika, how strong is your big sister?"

"Mm! She's super strong! She can take our armies all by herself, mm!"

"Haha! And what about your mom, Mana?"

"She's strong too! Not even Papa can beat her!"

"I'm sure that's just him being a pushover for his wife, but good enough! With those two leading the way, nothing will stop them from finding us!"

"Mm, but... don't those two hate each other?"

"Ah!"

"Eh? Do they? Why?"

Aedric had completely forgotten about that whole thing. He quickly scrambled to come up with an excuse before morale would fall again.

"I'm... I'm sure those two can put aside their differences and focus on saving their loved ones... I hope... But enough about that, we should probably move on."

"Mm? To where?"

"Let's start by following the river upstream. Most civilizations start near a ready source of water so if there is one in this area, we should be able to find it that way. I'm sure we can find some clues about the skyships while we're here as well. They did come from beyond the mountains, so maybe their home is somewhere around here."

"Mm, I'm gonna keep a lookout for branches, mm!"

"Atta girl! Let's hope that we find a better spot to camp this time. My back is still aching from last night..."

"Oh! What a pretty flower!" Manami suddenly called out.

"You find something nice, Ma...na...!!"

What Aedric saw in front of Manami was a nightmare from the past. Right in front of her stood a small flower-like creature. Aedric quickly reached for a weapon that wasn't at his side and gritted his teeth in response. Before he could call out to the girl, Reika immediately leapt forward with Tasogare already drawn. In an instant, the Petaloid was cut into several pieces.

"Good job, sis!" Aedric called out, flashing her a thumbs up.

"Mm!" Reika returned a thumbs up of her own.

"Eh? Wait? What just happened?" Manami looked back and forth to Reika and the creature she just cut down.

"That was a close one. Despite how they look, those things are extremely dangerous. We've come to call these things Petaloids. They give off a type of powder from their bulb, causing adventurers to become extremely drowsy. Once their guard is dropped, they attack with those razor-sharp petals of theirs."

"Why that's... absolutely horrible~!" Manami said with a wide grin on her face, "I'm going to bring these pieces with us. I want to see what makes them tick... hehe."

"Uh...sure. Knock yourself out."

"Onii-chan, don't these things usually come in packs?"

"...Yeah, we should probably get going while we have the chance. It'd be a bad idea if we get ambushed while only one of us has a weapon."

With Aedric's guidance, the three moved on while following the river north, hoping to find any sign of civilization.


	4. The Bag Incident

After the last of the party members disembarked from the skyship, the Godhand slowly began to make its ascent, leaving the five to their investigation. On the ship's deck, Faedyn watched as the others disappeared into the trees.

"Are you sure that you didn't want to go?" Isaac asked her. Faedyn shook her head.

"They'll be fine without me. What about you? Didn't you join because we needed a Medic?"

"Ha! I don't need to be on the front lines to treat them. Maybe they'll learn to be less accident-prone while I'm gone. I swear you all have no idea how much medicine runs for around here. I can't go wasting it all on minor cuts and bruises."

"We've all gotten a little lax since Armoroad. If my own skills weren't so rusty, perhaps we could have avoided what happened with the Bloodbear."

Hearing about the bear again caused Isaac to hold his head in exhaustion.

"...It's hard to think that was real. It felt like some kind of vague nightmare. One that I couldn't return to sleep from."

The phenomenon these two were referring to had to deal with the guild's most mysterious member, the Hexer Marie. Marie herself was some sort of eldritch existence that resided in High Lagaard's Yggdrasil. The guild mostly knew her through her dream projection, of whom would interact with them on occasion. Her real body always seemed to be in a state of constant sleep, but whenever she woke up, time would reverse back to either when she last woke up or her dream self merged with the main body. She would often employ this whenever at least one of the guild members died as she viewed them fondly and held them under her protection.

Isaac, of course, didn't believe a word of this when the others explained it. That is until they described what she looked like. After that, he just fell silent and said that he was going to stay on the ship for a while. He shook his head again.

"I don't think I can handle dying like that again. It's too much."

"It might sound hard to believe, but you get used to it after a while."

"Well, I could do without waking up to a creepy hooded girl staring at me in the corner of my room before melting into the wall..."

"Yeah, she does that."

"Ah, just what kind of guild did I join?"

"You're preaching to the choir here," Aisha commented from the steering wheel. Faedyn let out a light laugh in response.

"If you stick around, you're sure to see a lot of strange things. If anything, it'll keep you from getting bored."

"Alright, we're past those kangaroos. Are you ready, Faedyn?"

Without a word, Faedyn removed her glasses and cast a strengthening spell on her eyes. This temporary enchantment enhanced her vision enough so that she could count the petals on a flower at ground level if she so wished.

"I'm ready."

"Alright! We'll do a quick sweep around the plains and come back here!" Aisha shouted as the Godhand began to speed away from the Valley Spring. After they covered some distance, she spoke up again.

"Faedyn, if I had known that the others were missing..."

"It's okay. You're helping us now, that's all that matters. That's what Rean said, right?"

"Still..."

Although Aisha forced them to use her ship out of greed, she felt extremely guilty after learning about what happened on the way to Tharsis. And that's why she and Faedyn came up with this plan. Aisha would scour the Windy Plains while Faedyn would use her eyes to search for the missing party. Alongside the other crewmembers of the Godhand, of whom kept an eye out from their own positions, if those three were out there, they would find them.

~=====~

Sometime later in the Valley Spring, the party began to recuperate themselves after being forced to flee from yet another fight.

"Ugh... Scorpions... I hate scorpions!" Julianna screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Quiet down, will you?! You're just going to drag more over here!" Reannan yelled back at her.

"Now now, there's no reason for you two to start bickering this early," Elana stepped in, aiming to cool down the situation. As she pulled Reannan away, Olga did the same for Julianna.

One of the main reasons why Olga agreed to join in on this expedition was because she got along with Julianna far better than the rest of her guildmates. The only one who felt a bit out of place was Beatrice. She only tagged along due to there being an open spot and because she wanted to spend more time with her mother. Although the others were wary about bringing a child along with them, she had proven herself more than helpful at diverting the monster's attention away from them. The only thing that bothered them was the strange noises she would make whenever she took a hit...

"Mama, are you mad?" she asked.

"Of course not~! Why would I be mad over some disgusting insectoid monsters that keep paralyzing me over and over again~!"

"Are you sure you aren't mad?"

"Well... maybe a little~."

"Define 'little'," Reannan shot at her.

"Hush," Elana scolded the Princess.

"In any case, shouldn't we move on?" Olga suggested, "It wouldn't do us any good if we sit in this corner. Hm?"

At that moment she noticed what looked to be an unfamiliar leather bag on the ground.

"Hey, did anyone drop this?"

The others looked to where she pointed. After each of them confirmed that it wasn't theirs, Julianna rushed over to it.

"One of the rules of exploration is that if you find it on the ground, it's yours to keep~!"

"What's inside the bag, Mama?"

"Treasure~! Some kind of wonderful treasure and it's all ours~!"

"Ooh! I wanna see!"

Without hesitation, Beatrice reached into the bag to fish out whatever was inside. Almost immediately her face scrunched up in pain and she let out a sharp cry before tossing the bag away.

"Aaaaaaah! That huuuuurt! And it wasn't the good kind of hurt!"

"The good kind of... what the hell are you teaching your daughter?!" Reannan yelled.

"Beato, let Mama see your hand," Julianna calmly said to her little girl while clearly ignoring Reannan's question. Beatrice did as she was asked, showing her swollen hand to the party. It was clear that whatever had bitten her was poisonous. Julianna quickly shot a look at the bag to see a small spider peeking its head from it. The creature quickly hid back into the sack.

"...Hey. Don't think you can hide from me! I'm going to crush you for hurting my little girl!"

Julianna then thrust her hand into the bag, aiming to smash the spider with her own hands.

"You can't hide from me for--OW!"

Just like her daughter, she threw the bag to the ground. And just the same, her hand quickly began to swell up. The spider peeked out of the bag once again, almost as though it were mocking her attempts to kill it.

"...That's it. **YOU'RE DEAD!!** "

With a frantic scream, Julianna began to stomp her foot onto the bag over and over again. Suddenly, the group could hear what sounded like glass shattering.

"Ah."

With the assault halted, the spider quickly withdrew from the bag and skittered into the nearby brush as a light liquid began to seep out of the opening.

"That... looks like a Medica II..." Olga commented. Julianna slowly lifted her head and looked at the rest of the group.

"...That wasn't my fault."

The look on Reannan's face made it look like she wanted to say something, but she turned around instead.

"No use crying over it. Let's just move on," she said in an emotionless tone as she continued ahead. The rest of the party followed suit, with Olga pulling out some antidotes for both Julianna and Beatrice.


	5. The Hall of the Bloodbear

The party threw the door open and ran into the room. Their eyes were met with battered, bloodstained armor scattered about and their noses filled with the stench of death. As much as their senses told them to leave this place, they pressed further on for at the center of the room, surrounded by a pile of flesh that was once many a bright-eyed soldier and explorer, sat the crimson-furred beast that the party hunted. A loud crack resounded through the hall as the Bloodbear tossed another limb into its mouth, chewing straight through the bone with minimal effort. It did not take long for it to notice the five who had just entered its domain. The creature stood and its eyes narrowed as it turned to face them.

"Ufufuuun~! It's so nice to see you again. You may not remember our last encounter, but I have to say..." Julianna then drew her two blades and pointed one of them directly at the beast, "That really hurt! I'm going to make sure to pay you back double for what you did to me!"

"Just make sure you stick to the plan," Reannan reminded the vengeful woman. Julianna shrugged in response.

"Yeah, yeah. Throw sand in its eyes. I can do that in my sleep, Princess."

"I'm just making sure, demon."

"Alright, you two, enough of that. Let's put on a good show for Mr. Bear," Elana touched her throat with her faintly glowing fingers. She then struck a pose with half-open eyes.

"Song No. 5: The Rising Fool."

With whispered words, several runes floated around the Dancer, playing a quiet tune. Slowly, the music began to build up, growing louder and louder. In conjunction with the noise, Beatrice and Julianna walked toward the monstrous ursine while Olga pulled out a hooked arrow and took aim at the joints in its arms. As the music finally reached its crescendo, Reannan dragged her foot along the ground, forming the ᛁᚢ runes and bathing the area around the group in a pale blue.

As though that were the signal, Elana began to sing and Olga loosed her arrow. The beast let out a guttural roar of such power and force that it not only caused Beatrice and Julianna to reel back but knocked Olga's arrow wildly off course. With a look of irritation, she quickly fetched a second arrow and began to steady her aim. As she did, Olga quickly noticed that the bear stretched its arm far back.

"Everyone! Defend now!" she called out. The group was familiar with this attack from their last run-in with the Bloodbear. Following orders, Julianna crossed her swords in an effort to dampen the blow while her daughter readied her shield. The creature then swung its arm at a frightening speed. Even though she was far away from the strike, Elana could feel a wind strong enough to knock her slightly off balance.

"Hunyaaan♥!" Beatrice cried out, her feet dragging across the dirt as she was pushed back.

"Heh! That was nothing~!" Julianna grinned as Elana's song quickly closed up the wounds she endured. Olga took her shot. Unfortunately, the arrow only dug into the bear's forearm and not at the intended target. The Bloodbear growled as it reeled back its other arm. Once again, the group took their defensive positions as it unleashed yet another powerful strike.

"Uhuuun♥!"

"Could you please talk to your daughter later? Those noises are making me uncomfortable!" Reannan complained as she tried to focus on her spellcasting.

"It's not enough~!" Beatrice licked her lips, "Hey, Mr. Bear! Is that really all you got~? Come oooooon~! I'm sure you can do better than that~! Hit me! Hit me with everything you got~!"

The Bloodbear turned to Beatrice and clenched its fist. Heeding her request, it ran toward the small child and fired a lightning-quick straight jab. The girl simply twisted her body slightly, dodging the brunt of the blow. Only a slight cut appeared on her cheek. It wasn't because she wasn't fast enough to avoid the hit, she was only cut because she wanted it. The girl narrowed her eyes as a smug grin filled her face.

"Got☆You♥!"

From the other end of the arena, Reannan had just finished writing the runes for her spell.

"Ice Lance!"

A long, narrow shard of ice formed in front of Reannan before firing off toward the beast. The bear turned slightly in her direction and noticed the magical attack heading toward it. It attempted to dodge, but all it could manage was to have the lance scrape across one of its eyes, destroying it completely. Although Reannan had hoped to take out its head, this was good enough.

The Bloodbear howled and whimpered as blood pooled out of its empty socket. Cutting its losses, it immediately ran away from the group, smashing apart several trees in the process as it ventured deeper into the labyrinth.

"Wait... it can't do that! Get back here! How dare you run away from us!" Julianna shouted at the creature.

"Let it go... I doubt it'll make it much further with a wound like that..." Reannan breathed heavily as she clutched her mouth.

"Eh? Are you okay?" Olga asked the Princess.

"Sorry, I don't do too well around bloodied corpses..."

"Heeeeeh~. Some necromancer you are then~!" Julianna teased.

"Tch! I only use spirit arts and raise skeletal creatures. I just can't stand the smell of rotting flesh..."

"Then you might want to stand back, Princess. It might get a little worse," Elana warned her.

Taking a deep breath, the songstress began to sing. It was a sorrowful dirge. She did not dance nor did her runes produce any music, only her voice echoing about the hall. Although the others could not understand the words, they felt their meaning. Suddenly, the pile of corpses that stood before her erupted into a pillar of flame. She continued to sing to the funeral pyre for a time, hoping that her song would reach those who needed to hear it and guide them to whatever afterlife awaited them.


	6. The Abandoned Camp

In the Scarlet Pillars, the lost party continued their journey along the river. A sudden noise emanated from Reika as she held her stomach.

"Mm... getting hungry..." she moaned.

"I suppose that we haven't eaten in a while. How are you doing, Mana?"

"I'm doing fine, but I wouldn't complain if we stopped for a while."

"Sure, let's take a break. I haven't seen any monsters recently."

Aedric then examined their surroundings. It didn't look like there were any animals to hunt nearby and the girls were probably too tired to capture anything either way. Truth be told, he was rather exhausted himself. However, as the only adult in the group, he made it his top priority to not show any kind of weakness around the others. He then turned his attention to the forest, glancing at each of the trees.

"Ah! How about that up there!"

Aedric pointed out a familiar yellow fruit from one of the trees. The group had found another batch of this fruit a few days prior. Despite how it looked, it was rather delicious. It wasn't very filling, but it could at least keep them going for a while longer.

"Mm! I'll go get it!"

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, Reika quickly began to climb up the tree. Manami also hurried over to the base of the tree, only there to catch whatever Reika dropped. The two girls went to work with Reika first looking over each fruit to make sure that nothing was wrong with them, be they insects or rot. Over the whole process, she found five fruits worth eating and dropped each one to Manami. Just as she was about to climb down, Reika noticed something a bit further into the forest. After squinting her eyes, she called out.

"There's a camp over there, mm!"

"Eh? A camp? Are you sure?" Aedric asked. Reika dropped down from the tree and nodded.

"Mm, it's just over there."

Without wasting any time, the group hurried into the forest toward the direction that Reika had indicated. It didn't take long before they set foot into a large campsite. When Aedric had heard Reika mention the site, he naturally assumed that there might be people around, human or otherwise. However, judging by the lack of people, overgrowth, and the general state of the place, it was clear that this camp had been long abandoned.

"There's no one here..." Manami spoke quietly, clearly saddened that they had once again failed to find any kind of civilization in this place.

"Look on the bright side, this means that there are people somewhere on this side of the mountains. But, if I were to guess, I'd say that this place has been abandoned for at least a year, possibly longer. I'm not exactly an expert at figuring these things out."

Aedric then walked over to one of the tents and looked it over.

"Huh, this one isn't usable... Well, so long as we're here, we might as well take what we can use. If anything, this place might have something that'll help us in the long run."

The group spread out, each looking over various areas that caught their interest.

"There's some pots and pans over here!" Manami shouted gleefully.

"Nice! Check this out! There are a few canteens over here. We can finally say goodbye to that awful bowl I made."

Aedric took a lopsided wooden bowl out of his pack and replaced it with a canteen. Despite how sure he was of his original idea, he quickly realized that he wasn't a craftsman so only one of the bowls he made was only somewhat usable. It was already a hassle to use it to get water from the river and place it near for only one person to drink before having to repeat the process.

"Mm! Knives! I can use this as another weapon, mm!" Reika happily pulled out a knife and placed it on her belt.

"Aren't those kitchen knives?"

"Mm, they work well enough."

"...Better than nothing, I guess."

"I think I'll use this!" Manami held up a large hammer for everyone to see.

"Isn't that a bit heavy?"

"I'm a lot stronger than I look. I am a half-demon, after all."

"Right, right. It sure would be nice if I could find something to use..."

Aedric continued to comb over an area that looked like an armory. There were bits and pieces of armor scattered about, but most of them were heavily damaged and deemed unusable. Not only that, but there was not a weapon to be found. Aedric sighed and headed over to where Reika started to open various barrels.

"Find anything good?"

"Only rotten food, mm..." the girl spoke in a low tone as she moved onto the next barrel. Upon opening it, her eyes lit up.

"Mm, isn't this that canned stuff?"

"Canned? Oh yeah, that stuff! Let me see!"

Aedric peered inside the barrel as well. Just like Reika had said, there were tons of canned goods inside. The two of them were only familiar with canned food during their camping trips in Armoroad as Valiente hadn't reached a similar level of technology yet. Depending on the contents inside, their food problems may have been solved.

"It doesn't look like anything is damaged so it should be fine. Wanna test it out?"

"Mm!"

Aedric looked around for something to use to open the can. As he did so, he spotted something just outside of the camp, lying across the ground. Once he realized what it was, he was struck speechless. He then held out the can to Reika and pointed at the weapon.

"You go ahead and start the fire, I'm going to check that thing out."

"Mm, okay!"

As Reika rushed off to join Manami at the center of the camp, Aedric walked over to the object he spotted and lifted it. It was a strange-looking sword and a massive one at that. It was damaged and worn by the elements, but it would be serviceable as a weapon. While looking it over, he noticed that it held some sort of complicated machinery that reminded him of the Abyssal King's sword back in Armoroad. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how it worked. He decided at that point that if they found a blacksmith in their travels that he would ask about it and see about getting it fixed.

As he headed over to join the two girls, Aedric finally noticed just how large this camp was. Thinking about it, it was strange that there were not only multiple large tents but also a makeshift kitchen and armory. He then headed back to where he found the canteens and began to count them.

"...Ten, no, eleven. There were that many people here...?"

Then the real question dawned upon him, what exactly happened here? He didn't see any skeletal remains while he looked over everything and judging by the state of the campsite, it was clear that the people here were forced to flee from -something-. Whatever that something was, however, not even he could figure out. Not to mention that they had been gone for a long time. Any tracks that would shed some light on this mystery were probably long gone, but even if they weren't, Aedric wasn't exactly experienced in reading tracks, to begin with. Faedyn was the one who handled that sort of thing. And if Reannan were here, she'd probably be able to summon any spirits and learn all the details from them.

"Ah, I miss those two already," he laughed to himself.

"Mm? Something wrong, Onii-chan?"

"Nah, nothing at all."

Aedric then turned his attention to the sky. It was already in the later parts of the day with a slight hint of red streaks in the sky. They had at best a few more hours of sunlight.

"So, how about we stay here for the night? I'll see about getting one of the tents fixed up while you two handle dinner. I'm sure there's more stuff around here that we can use, so we might as well get a good look before we head out in the morning."

"Mm, I'll make up a big dinner!"

"Haha! Looking forward to it, sis!"

"And I'll look over the medical supplies. I'm sure that there's something we can use."

"I'm counting on you for that, Mana."

And with that, the three spread out once more, each working hard on their assigned tasks.

~=====~

Hours later, Aedric sat alone at the campfire. The three had eaten enough to make up for the last few days. The girls fell asleep almost immediately, so great was their exhaustion. Without disturbing them, Aedric quietly carried them to the tent he fixed up and decided that he would take the first watch. His shift would end the moment at least one of them woke up and then he too would get some much-needed rest. And so, he continued to sit by the campfire while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings and listening out for any sort of disturbance.

He didn't sense anything hostile in the area, in fact, he was rather surprised that there were no signs of any monsters here at all. However, he did notice the presence of something nearby. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he could feel it watching him.

"Well I'm beat," he spoke out loud, "I can't for the life of me figure out what happened here. You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

He directed his question to where he felt the presence. However, the forest gave no reply.

"Ha, I should have figured as much. Well, you don't need to say anything. Just think of me talking to myself, alright?"

The figure in the trees raised an eyebrow as Aedric spoke to him. He had no idea how this man had sensed his presence. He shifted around the branch he sat upon and silenced his breathing, hoping that Aedric would assume that he was imagining things.

"But if you're up for it, we can have a little chat. It doesn't have to be about this camp, it could be about your homeland and its people. I'm really interested in stuff like that. Or you can direct us a way back to Tharsis, that would be cool too."

Once again, the figure gave no reply. At this point, he decided that he wasn't going to respond to Aedric regardless of what he said, even if he wanted him to leave the forest.

"I can't tell if you're a monster or not. If you're not, then that's fine, you can stay over there if you want. But if you mean any harm to these girls, worn or not, this sword will still do the job."

The figure furrowed his brow at such a comment. But again, he chose not to answer.

"Fine, if you don't wanna talk about yourself, then I'll do it! Listen well! My name is Aedric Navarre and I am the sixth in a long line of heroes! My history begins with my great ancestor, Navarre, who once fought off a demon invasion from the Hollow Forest with naught but himself! Such a brave man was he! A single swing of his sword and 100 demons would die! He was the beginning of the legend. His daughter, Jessica, joined the military in their crusade against the Dread Queen of the North. It was a fierce war, one that dragged on for many years! Some battles in particular were--"

_Does this guy ever shut up?_ the figure wondered to himself as covered his ears in irritation. He regretted not placing a magic circle in the camp ahead of time. Wanting out of this situation, he placed a sleep circle on his branch. The circle activated and quickly forced him into a deep slumber, his final thoughts about how glad he was to be free from Aedric's ramblings.

"--faced off against the Twilight Dragon in a bitter rivalry. Why, they say I get most of my good looks from him, haha! The two adversaries met--"


	7. The Berserker King

The Berserker King. The apex predator and mightly leader of the red-furred beasts of the Lush Woodlands. This hulking monstrosity glared about the room, searching for the foolish group of explorers that slew one of its brethren. It knew that they would return sooner or later and when they did, it would tear them apart and feed upon their corpses. The beast dragged one of its gigantic claws across a nearby tree, gouging it as though it were one of its adversaries. It awaited in eager anticipation for the battle ahead.

However, unbeknownst to this creature, the guild it searched for was hiding right behind it. They too sharpened their weapons and prepared themselves for the upcoming battle, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Once the preparations were complete, Reannan looked to Julianna and nodded. The succubus drew her twin blades in response and charged at the beast, digging her blades into its back.

The Berserker King immediately spun around to see the guild.

"Took you long enough to notice us~! Your senses must be growing dull~!" Julianna taunted. The bear lifted its claw, ready to smash the cheeky woman when a hooked arrow embedded itself directly into its elbow joint. The arm ceased all movement as pain seared through the monster's body.

"I think that will do for the opening act. Now, let's start the show!" Elana shouted as she struck a pose.

"Song No. 1: The Comrade's Song."

As usual, music began to play throughout the area around the group. As Elana began to dance and sing, her runic words began to empower the party. Following along, Reannan began to fire off individual ice spears at the creature while the others began to strike at its body. The beast slowly began to step back as their attacks began to cut through its body without any way to defend itself. In an act of desperation, it dug its own claws into the area where the arrow still stood and tore it out with a large chunk of bloody flesh to go along with it.

"A berserker indeed..." Olga commented as she readied another arrow to bind its other arm. After slamming its arms onto the ground, the monster leapt into the air and dove past the front line. It did not go for Olga, instead, it targeted the troublesome mage. While still airborne, it reached its arm down and grabbed Reannan. It then flipped onto its hind legs and lifted the woman for the rest of the guild to see. Reannan began to cough as it squeezed down on her.

"Sorry... but I'm not such easy prey!"

Using her bloodied finger, she wrote out the familiar runes for her Ice Lance spell. The runes coalesced and formed a large spear that immediately launched into the Berserker King's chest. The sudden shock of pain caused the beast to throw the woman toward her guild. Reannan quickly regained her footing and slid backward as Beatrice and Julianna both ran toward the bear, their weapons drawn. The king could feel its body freezing from the inside from the Princess's spell. It knew that it had to get rid of these women as quickly as possible. It quickly swiped at them, the force of the blow knocking back the mother-daughter pair.

"Hunyuuu♥!"

"Khh! That really hurt! But you know..."

Elana's runic song continued to heal the wounds on the pair's bodies.

"I can do this all day~!"

The Berserker King planted its feet onto the ground and threw its arms back. It was now or never. This final blow would be powerful enough to turn these two into nothing but a fine mist. As the beast began to store power, Julianna stopped and placed her hands together, and looked to her daughter.

"Alright, Beato! Time to finish this!"

"Okay, Mama!"

Beatrice then jumped onto her mother's hands. Julianna gave her a boost, throwing the girl up into the air. As she jumped, Beatrice twisted her body and swung her hammer as though it were a baseball bat, right at the spear Reannan had shot earlier. The sheer power of the blow coming from a half-demon girl tore through the creature's body, leaving a massive gaping hole where its chest once was. As Julianna caught her daughter, the Berserker King took a few steps forward before crashing down onto the forest floor. Noticing the noise, the two Bloodbears that patrolled the room looked to where their leader once stood. As soon as they noticed the corpse, they ran away as fast as they could.

"Did you see that Mama? I totally got him!" Beatrice giggled.

"I saw~! That's my daughter for you~!"

Once Julianna set Beatrice down, she took on a more serious expression as she looked around the area.

"Maaaaaanaaaaaa!! Are you here? Please, answer me!" she called out.

"Maaaaanaaaa! Where are you?" Beatrice joined in.

"That's strange... they don't seem to be here..." Reannan pondered. She then turned to the other two, "Did you two notice anything?"

"Sorry to say, but I haven't seen any signs of other explorers on this floor. I thought for certain that they would be here too," Elana said while scratching her head.

"You don't think that they flew over the mountains, do you?" Olga asked. The other two stopped for a moment before thinking about it.

"Well... they were flying pretty fast as I recall. And at the angle their ship fragment was going at... I suppose it's possible, now that I think about it," Elana spoke while picturing the scene in her head once again.

"Maaaaaaanaaaaaa!! Maaaaanaaaaa! Mama is here! You don't need to be scared anymore!" Julianna called out again.

"You can give it a rest now, it doesn't look like they're here," Reannan stated while approaching the pair.

"No, they have to be here! Faedyn already said that they didn't see any signs of them on the Windy Plains. This is the last place we haven't checked."

"If they were here, we would have found signs of them by now."

"Well, if you're so smart Princess, then tell me, where is my daughter, huh?"

"I--hm? That tablet..."

Reannan turned toward a strange stone tablet that she spotted out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey! I'm still talking to you!"

"That tablet looks familiar..." she repeated as she pulled out a piece of parchment.

"Who cares about some dumb tablet? I'm talking about my daughter here!"

"Just shut up for a moment... Ah, I was right. This is the same design on the monument next to the barrier."

She then picked up the hefty piece of stone and motioned for the others to come over.

"I don't really care about your exploration business. Do I need to remind you that I'm only here--"

"We think that the others are past the mountains. That would explain why we didn't see them on this side."

"...Eh? Are you sure about that?"

"It's the best guess that we have at the moment. And if I'm correct, this tablet is the key to dispelling that barrier."

Julianna stood there for a moment as this information processed through her head.

"So I have to go through another one of these labyrinths..." Julianna let out a rather loud sigh. Followed by a second. And a third.

"Ahhhhhh... Fine! I'll do it! Whatever! But you better be right about this!"

"First things first, we better report all of this to the Outland Count. If anything, we might get more airships flying around the next area to help out in our search."

While still holding the tablet, Reannan pulled out an Ariadne Thread and held it high into the air. The others huddled close to her while the thread began to emit a soft glow as it resonated with the Geomagnetic Pole just outside of Tharsis. Once the connection was established, the thread let out a bright light, and the five were gone, whisked away back to town.


	8. Miasma Forest

After the party disembarked from the Godhand, they entered the eerie forest while the ship and her crew flew off to search for the missing members. The forest itself was dark. Perhaps it was due to it being sandwiched between two cliffs that prevented any light from reaching this place.

"...It sure is quiet here. It's kind of creepy..." Olga commented. As she said, this place lacked any kind of animal noises that usually accompanied a forest. No birdsongs. No beast's howls. Nothing. Julianna, however, laughed at the idea.

"What~? You're scared because there's nothing here~? That only makes this a great hiding place. That means that they must be here!"

"I guess..."

Without wasting any more time, Julianna threw open the door before them. No sooner than that, the group was suddenly overcome with an overpowering stench. A type of rotting, fetid smell that caused the party to instinctively cover their mouths and noses.

"Well, that's... something. But I've dealt with far worse~!" the succubus said as she boldly continued. Elana placed her hand on the clearly struggling Reannan.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm... fine. Let's continue..."

As the group began to take careful steps through this place, Reannan abruptly doubled over and began vomiting profusely.

"KYAHAHAHA!! Whaaaaaat~? Can't handle a little smell, Prin--BLAUGH!!"

Julianna too joined Reannan and fell to her knees. One by one, the group began to succumb to the fetid miasma that swirled about them and lost consciousness.

~=====~

"...That should be all of them."

The group stirred as they heard the sound of voices around them.

"Unbelievable... This many? Here? Did they arrive on that flying monstrosity?"

The party slowly sat up, their blurred vision slowly returning. Once the world stopped spinning, they beheld three inhuman creatures. Their stick-like figures and sallow skin set them apart from the humans they had come to know. These creatures were clearly the native inhabitants of this land, much like the Forest Folk and the Siveta before them. Of the three, a woman carrying a staff began to address the group. [CV: Hiromi Igarashi]

"I am Wufan, leader of the Vessel arcanists. What business do you have in this Miasma Forest, humans?"

The party attempted to speak, but due to the miasma, their words could not escape their throats. Understanding that, Wufan continued.

"This is cursed ground. If you do not heed your steps, you will succumb to the miasma from the Night Shard."

The woman turned from the group and gave them a sideways glance.

"You humans are our creators. It is out of respect for your guidance that I took it upon myself to save you. But the ties between us were severed at the Battle for the Holy Tree, and we have no wish to restore them."

Her next words were spoken in a low, spiteful tone.

"Understand that you are not welcome. Our preference would be for you to do nothing here and leave at once."

Having spoken her piece, the woman nodded to the other Vessels that accompanied her and walked off into the forest.

"W...wait..." Reannan tried to speak, but both she and the party were still far too weak to respond before Wufan disappeared. After some time had passed, the group slowly began to rise.

"So now what? That woman clearly doesn't want us here," Elana asked the group.

"Huh? How is that a question? We leave this place. They're clearly not here," Julianna pointed out.

"I think that we should continue our search," Reannan stated, "If we hold our breaths--"

"Hey! There's no reason for us to be here! There's not a chance that they're hiding away in this place!"

"But there's a chance that they passed by here. There might be a campfire or a piece of clothing, ANYTHING would be fine. If there's even the slightest chance that something is here, I want to find it. You feel the same about Mana, don't you?"

"D-don't you dare pull that card on me, Princess!"

"I just think it would be best if we are absolutely certain that there is nothing here, that's all. And besides..."

"Besides... what?"

Reannan slowly lifted her hand and pointed toward the forest's entrance.

"...The skyship already left so we're stuck here for a few hours regardless. We might as well make the most of it."

"Oh... that..."

Without any other choice, the party resumed their investigation of the Miasma Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering why Wufan has a voice credit, it's because most of the NPCs in Etrian Odyssey 4 actually have official voice actors due to a drama CD that came out. It isn't translated, but you can find a summary of it on the wiki.
> 
> If you want to listen to it, go here: https://morika.tumblr.com/post/149826951172/etrian-odyssey-ivs-drama-cd-i-got-the-drama-cd-a
> 
> Wiki: https://etrian.fandom.com/wiki/The_Three_Siblings_%26_the_Captive_Medium
> 
> Just be warned that it does take place after the Post Game so it does have spoilers.


	9. Ambush in the Forest

After a few days of walking, the lost party found themselves in a new forest. The plan to follow the river turned out to be a bust when they ran into the waterfall. They decided at that time to find a way to scale the cliffs, hoping that being at a higher elevation would allow the other airships to spot them more easily. It took nearly an entire day, but they managed to find a safe enough path to the top. And so here they were, in a forest where a thin layer of mist slithered between the trees.

"This place is kind of creepy..." Manami's eyes darted around in fear.

"Eh, it's not much different from the Hollow Forest back home. Though, the mist is much thicker there. Speaking of..."

Aedric turned back. The river they were originally following went in the opposite direction from where they were walking right now.

"It's a bit strange that there's this much fog around here. I don't remember it raining recently."

As Aedric pondered this, the girls suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"Hm? Something wrong?"

"Mm... can't move...!"

"I can't either!"

Aedric spun around but saw nothing. It didn't look like there were any monsters in the vicinity. He then looked down and noticed a large magic circle right where the group stood.

"That's far enough, humans."

A voice called out from the forest. It echoed all around the group, making it impossible to pinpoint its source. Before Aedric could say anything, the voice continued. [CV: Akira Ishida]

"Should you progress any further, you'll be trespassing on our town. Although you are our creators, know that we have not forgiven your cowardice from when your kind fled from the Titan. Leave these lands at once, otherwise, I, Xiao of the Vessel Arcanists, will be forced to end your lives."

After Xiao had finished his speech, Aedric calmly walked out of the circle.

"H-how did you...?" a tone of surprise colored Xiao's words.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm immune to magic. It's a condition I was born with, as long as there's even the tiniest amount of mana in these circles, they won't affect me. It's both a blessing and a curse if you ask me. Now then, Xiao was it? I suggest that you come out from wherever you're hiding and talk with us face to face. And don't think about casting any fireballs or anything. My body might be immune, but my clothes sure aren't. That is unless you want to watch me run around naked."

Aedric laughed at his last comment only to be met with silence. His laughter slowly died down as a look of worry crept about his face.

"Wait... _do you?_ "

"Of course not!"

"Ah, over there!"

"Tch!"

When responding, Xiao completely forgot to mask his voice, giving away his position. Aedric hurried over to the Vessel, prompting him to leap onto a tree. Xiao then began to create more distance between the two, leaping from tree to tree in the process.

"Quite a slippery one, aren't ya?"

Aedric then opened a small pouch he had attached to his belt and pulled out a nail. Back when the three were at the campsite, he made sure to take apart anything that didn't seem useful so that he could scavage them for parts. Chief among those were metal nails. As Aedric's magnetic gauntlet could only repel metal, he often used them as makeshift projectiles. After all, nails were easy to get and cheap, a bag often costing a fraction of the price of a knife. And unlike a knife, nails didn't have a wooden handle to get in the way of launching it.

Aedric began to fire off nails like bullets, aiming around Xiao in an attempt to get him out of the trees. As he fled, Xiao pointed his staff at Aedric, activating another circle. Like before, he seemed unaffected.

"Not even poison?" Xiao cursed as he continued to dodge the nail projectiles.

"Oh? I can move again!" Manami suddenly called out. Aedric looked back to the girls to see that the circle around them had vanished. Whether it was due to the circle only lasting a short time or Xiao hadn't planned for this to drag on this long, Aedric couldn't tell.

"Mm, he's over there, right?" Reika asked as she slowly positioned her body into a runner's stance," ...I'll get him."

"Whoa! Wait! Stop right there! We're not trying to kill him!" Aedric pleaded with Reika. With a slightly annoyed look, Reika slowly returned to her standing position.

"Mm, fiiiiine."

"I think I can get him," Manami said while pulling out her hammer.

"Hm? You got a plan?"

"Just watch this! I call this one Staaaaaar--"

Manami tossed her hammer high into the air. After spinning several times, it came back down. Once it fell far enough, Manami gave it a quick roundhouse kick.

"--Drop!"

The hammer tore through the air and toward the tree that Xiao now stood on. With a loud crack, the tree snapped in two and fell to the forest floor. Without any other choice, Xiao quickly leapt down from his hiding spot and came face to face with the party.

"Well well, it's nice to finally meet you. I take it that you're the guy who was following us, am I right?"

Xiao didn't respond, only giving Aedric an irritated look.

"Eh, whatever. I think it's about time that we have a little chat."

Without warning, Xiao threw his staff forward, causing a circle to form directly under the girls. The two quickly fell over and lost consciousness.

"Reika! Mana!"

As soon as Aedric turned his back, Xiao hastily made his escape.

"The children will wake up in a few hour's time. Once they do, leave this place and never return. The other Vessels will not be as kind as I," Xiao's voice echoed throughout the forest.

"Wait! First, tell us how to get out of hereeee and he's gone. Crap."

Without any other options, Aedric sat with the sleeping girls while thinking ahead for their next move.


	10. The Medium

After narrowly avoiding the gigantic insectoid monsters, the party resumed their journey through the Misty Ravine. As the group slowly worked their way through the labyrinth, they not only kept a careful eye out for enemy ambushes but also took in the tranquil atmosphere that this forest provided. Suddenly, Elana held out her hand and motioned for the others to stop.

"Do you hear that?" she asked while cupping a hand to her ear. The others tried the same but heard nothing.

"...Are you sure you haven't gone cra--" Julianna started, but Elana insisted once more.

"Shhh... listen carefully..."

The others chose this time to close their eyes and listened once more. It was faint, but they could hear what appeared to be someone singing. Unsure of what this might mean, Elana, placed a finger to her lips to ask for silence as she motioned the others to follow. The group took careful steps as they pressed on, the singing growing louder by the moment. It wasn't long until they found the source of the song. There, in an open clearing sat a young woman, her back toward the group. Small, firefly-like lights floated about her as though dancing to the wordless tune she hummed. The group stood there in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. After taking a deep breath, Elana stepped forward.

"That is quite the song you have there."

The woman flinched for a moment and the lights dissipated immediately. She spun to meet the party. Much to their surprise, she was far younger than what they expected. The girl continued to stare at the party with widened eyes, her mouth opening, and closing as though she were looking for the correct words to say.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean--"

The girl flinched once again, this time taking a step back in fright. Before Elana could say anything else, a shadowy creature in the shape of a woman darted out from the nearby brush. It looked at the party briefly before turning its attention to the girl. [CV: Miyuki Iwasaki]

"What is a Hollow doing here?!" she cried out, "Back! S-stay back!"

The creature paid no mind to the girl's shouts and edged ever closer to her. Suddenly, it shifted off to the side just in time to dodge one of Olga's arrows. As the party drew their weapons, a second shadow slithered from the darkness and joined the first. Julianna was the first to move. She swung her twin blades at the Hollow, the first strike cutting straight through its ethereal body. The second strike, however, missed as the creature swerved around the blade at an impossible angle. With its staff charged with streaks of lightning, it pointed it toward Elana, striking her with a searing bolt and halting her routine.

During this, Reannan shot out a spear of ice and Olga used one of her piercing arrows, both hoping to take out the two targets at once. The first of the Hollows skillfully shifted around the attacks at blinding speed, while the other took the brunt of the attacks. Although they struck true, these creatures were far more resilient than at first glance.

"Well now, aren't you all just slippery little annoyances~? Well, I know exactly how to deal with the likes of you. Ufufuuun~!"

The succubus held her blades in a reverse grip as she ran toward one of the Hollows. In the first stratum, the party had dealt with lizards who could blend in with the environment which made it difficult to strike them. Through trial and error, Julianna came up with a technique to strike an opponent twice in an instant, preventing anything from evading. She unleashed her attack. Much like she thought, even with their superior speed, the ghost-like being was unable to avoid the twin strikes. The Hollow continued to stand there, dazed, as though it could not understand how Julianna managed to hit it. That one moment was all that was needed for the rest of the group to hit it with everything they had. Through the sheer onslaught that was set upon it, the Hollow's body dissipated and faded back into the mist. One down, one to go.

The other Hollow, sensing the danger that these strangers possessed, lifted its arms high into the air. From its feet, long shadows shot forth toward each of the members. Beatrice and Reannan were unable to avoid it and the shadows formed into a multitude of arms, grasping at their legs and locking them into place. As for Julianna, she dove above the shadows and continued her advance. Before the Hollow could do anything else, the succubus struck it down with the same attack that felled its comrade. Once its body faded away, so too did the shadowy appendages.

All at once, everyone sheathed their weapons and turned their attention back to the girl. The girl, having been stupified during the encounter, finally regained her senses. She approached the group herself and hastily bowed before them.

"I thank you for saving me. I hope that none of you were hurt..." she trailed off while looking at Elana, who took the most damage during the fight. The woman just laughed and waved her hand in response.

"I'm no worse for wear, so don't worry about it. I can take a lot more punishment than what that thing had to offer."

Hearing such a thing, the girl smiled.

"I am glad to hear it. Well done. Not to be rude, but... are you humans as well?"

The girl turned her gaze downward as she tapped her fingers together.

"I regret cringing to see you. But... Yggdrasil spoke truly," a large smile appeared on her face as she began to speak excitedly, "I was told that if I waited here, humans would come!"

"Yggdrasil... spoke?" Elana tilted her head.

"It's not the first time that we've heard about that. It's not as strange as it sounds, believe me," Reannan explained. The girl then stood up straight and placed a hand on her chest.

"I'm known as the Medium in town. And what are you called?"

"It's nice to meet you. We are members of the Kurohana Guild. I am Reannan."

"Oh, come on! Could your introduction be any more boring~? This is how you do it. From beyond the edge of this world, comes the voluptuous buxom beauty to which all eyes are inevitably drawn. One look into her eyes and even the iciest of hearts will be set aflame, leaving nothing but a puddle in her hands~. Yes~! It is I, Julianna Hayami~!"

"...You could be a little more modest."

"Modesty is for chumps. If you got it, you flaunt it~! A jealous stare only adds flavor to your greatness~."

"I-I think you're pretty," the Medium spoke out.

"Ufufuuun~. Well, well. You just earned some bonus points from me~. And this right here is my beautiful daughter and future maneater, Beatrice!"

"Ohohoho~! 'Tis a pleasure, I'm sure~," Beatrice gloated, following in her mother's example.

"I'm Olga Ivanov. I'm great at... uh, shooting and... uh..."

"Kyahahaha! What's wrong, Olga~? Surely, you can do much better than that~!"

"I'm... not so good at coming up with things on such short notice..."

"Now, now. I am Elana, a songstress. I heard your singing earlier. I would love it if you could teach me the tune."

"Of course! It would be my pleasure," the Medium beamed.

"Now that I think about it, you mentioned something about a town, correct? Did you mean Tharsis?"

"Tharsis...? No, I mean--"

"You...! Get away from the Medium!"

Rushing in from further down the path came the Vessel the party knew as Wufan. She quickly placed herself between the Medium and the group as she pointed her staff at the party.

"It appears my faith in humanity that led me to save you was a mistake. To think that you would come here..." she glared at the group and bared her teeth, "And you dare address the Medium! This is a disgrace... I shall banish you from this place myself!"

The Medium quickly moved around the angry woman and spread her arms out.

"Wufan, wait! These people... Guild Kurohana saved me from the Hollows. And look! They're just like me! They're human too! How splendid!"

"Hollows? Here?" Wufan slowly dropped her guard but refused to break eye contact from the party.

"I want to talk to them some more. Can't I, please?"

"Absolutely not. I forbid it."

"But why? Why are you so angry at them?"

"You know what the humans did. They cannot be trusted."

"But these are not those humans, Wufan! I only want to talk with them. Please?"

The party could see the irritation on Wufan's face. After letting out a sigh, she finally pulled her staff away from the group and looked at the Medium in surrender.

"If you must. But please, continue your conversation inside the town walls. There is no precedent for Hollows appearing in such a shallow stratum, but we must be vigilant."

With that, she turned her attention back to the party once more.

"...I trust you overheard. We will wait for you in Vessel Town, which stands just down this path. What the Medium wants, she gets. I will prepare a reward for you. The path is winding, so don't go astray."

She then grasped the Medium's hand and began to pull her away.

"Ow... Hey! What's gotten into you? I'm sorry, everyone, Wufan usually isn't like this. I have to go with her. We will be at Vessel Town, so please be sure to visit. I shall be waiting!"

The party continued to watch as the pair slowly faded into the mist.

"Shall we take them up on their offer?" Elana turned to the rest of the group.

"I don't see why not. This could be a good opportunity to learn more about this land. With some luck, perhaps they'll help us out in our search," Reannan voiced as she began to walk further into the forest. The rest of the group soon followed without any objection.

~=====~

Sometime later after traversing through the mist-filled forest and walking down seemingly endless paths, the party came upon a rather sturdy looking door. After looking at everyone to ensure that they were ready, Reannan pushed open the heavy door. Once inside, the party was met with tall, wooden structures. It was indeed a village nestled deep within this labyrinth. As they looked around them, the party quickly noticed how the trees above obscured this settlement, hiding it away from the world.

"It's no wonder why we didn't see this place from the ship..." Reannan commented to herself. It slowly dawned upon her that finding the others might not be a such simple task after all.

"Humans...?! What business do you have in our town?!"

The group turned to find another Vessel near the gate, raising his voice in alarm. Without wasting time, he quickly pulled out his bow and began to reach for the quiver on his back.

"Hold! Do not hurt them!"

The Vessel froze as soon as he heard the Medium's voice. The young girl rushed over to the group and addressed the guard.

"Did Wufan not mention it? These are the ones who saved me in the forest. They are my guests."

The girl then quickly turned her attention to the party.

"I am sorry... Did you run into any difficulties on your way? I am happy to see you. We have a meal prepared!"

The Medium then grabbed hold of Reannan's hand and began tugging her along further into the village. The guard slowly lowered his bow, but continued to watch with his hand still near his quiver.

Much like the name suggested, this town was filled with other Vessels. Or perhaps a handful was more accurate. Only a scant few walked along the streets, occasionally whispering amongst one another as the party passed. But the group knew better as they could feel the gazes of countless others watching them. It truly felt as though the entire town had their eyes on this small group. The Medium could feel it herself as well. Her eyes were downcast in shame as she hurridly brought the party to a space where they could sit.

"Er... I think they are only surprised to see you," she explained, trying to force a smile. She then motioned to the seats she had prepared, "Come, sit! Sit!"

As the group took their seats, the Medium retrieved a bowl filled with fruits and seeds and placed it near them.

"How did you come here? What sorts of things do you do normally? And what kind of food do you prefer?"

"Haha, one question at a time," Elana laughed.

"Then... how did you come here?"

"We came here from the south, from a city called Tharsis. We actually flew here on a flying ship."

"Fly...? Humans can fly?"

"Well, technically no. But we've invented many things to help us travel. Now, we can cross both the skies and sea with little trouble."

"Sea? What's that?"

"Ah, it's a large body of water. It covers most of the world and stretches out as far as the eye can see."

"That's amazing!"

"Indeed it is. Would you mind if I ask a question as well? I see plenty of Vessels here, but are there not any other humans in this town? What about your parents?"

"No, I am the only one. I have no mother or father. Until today, I thought I was unique. I heard that the rest of humanity disappeared long ago... but it seems there are things Wufan doesn't know. Are the others like us? How many humans would you say there are where you come from?"

"Where we come from, huh?" Reannan thought for a moment. Considering how sheltered this girl seemed to be, she was unsure of how she would react to learning about the rest of the world. However, she soon realized that some time ago, she herself was not much different from this child that sat before her. She felt that it would be better to broaden this girl's horizons.

"Humanity is still flourishing today. I myself am from a kingdom far from here called Valiente. It is a peaceful place, one where we strive to help our fellow man and set an example for the rest of humanity to follow."

"Oh really? Well, the last I heard, that place was a real shit-hole where the nobles reign supreme, the peasants are glorified slaves and the homeless are executed in secret so as not to tarnish your fair city's image," Julianna teased. Reannan wanted to talk back, but she knew that the succubus was correct.

"...It is unfortunate. But I am working on fixing it myself, slowly, but surely. Once the preparations are complete and I become Queen, I will make Valiente the country that it is said to be."

"Is that even possible? I mean, forgive me for saying this, but your father is a misogynistic asshole who only thinks of you as some trophy to be given away. And your brother Raum..." Olga cringed as she remembered her encounters with the Prince of Valiente, "Well, the less said about him, the better."

"That is part of the reason for this journey. If I can make plenty of political allies in the countries of the world, it will make my succession go that much smoother. I would rather avoid the option of a bloody coup if at all possible. It's a shame, but I can't even afford to allow my family to know about my new outlook on life or that I can use magic. They would probably say that I am devil-possessed and execute me as a witch. I love Valiente and its people. It is my home and I cannot bear to see it rot like this..."

The Medium stared at the group while all of this talk flew over her head. Realizing this, Reannan chose to change the subject.

"Anyway, did you know that there are other Yggdrasil trees spread about the world? We have visited three other trees before coming here."

The girl wore a look of surprise on her face while Reannan continued.

"The first one we visited was in a city called Etria. There was a great sprawling labyrinth within the tree itself. So many adventurers visited the city to discover the secrets that laid within and our guild was among them."

As Reannan regaled the Medium with her tale, she was careful to not mention anything about the Yggdrasil Project or the old world so as not to overload the girl with too much information.

"Once we finished our business in Etria, we traveled across the sea and to the north to our next destination in High Lagaard."

"That's where I'm from!" Olga cheerfully interceded, "Unlike the labyrinth in Etria, our labyrinth stretched out into the sky. Kurohana came to our city to help find the Grail of Kings, the only thing that could save the ailing Duke. I joined in on the expedition into the labyrinth, along with Julianna."

"Ugh, I wish that I could forget that awful place..." Julianna said with an annoyed looked.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Do you know just how many holes I fell down?"

"Yes, I was there. The pitfalls were far from the worst things we encountered."

"Oh yes, how could I forget about the blinding palace? Or the dragon's maze? Or how about how many times we died there? It sure was a great adventure. Yep."

"And you also met your future husband, what about that?"

"...Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad."

"Anyway, after we finished up in High Lagaard, we traveled south and visited the island city of Armoroad," Reannan continued, "The Yggdrasil there lain beneath the sea and housed an underwater city to boot. There were some complications along the way, but we managed to forge peace between the two cities and dispatch a great evil that slept within its depths. And lastly, there's Tharsis, which lies just south of here. That is where we came from."

The Medium listened fervently to the tales the guild told, latching onto each and every word. At times, her eyes would go soft as though she wished that she had been there herself.

"That's amazing... you've come so far to get here. I wish I could see the places you've been."

"Medium. You must not listen to what these humans tell you."

The one who spoke out was none other than the Vessel, Wufan. It was clear that she had listened to the entire conversation and casually approached.

"Humans. I take it that you know nothing of what happened in these lands long ago. Since I doubt you will return empty-handed, I will tell of the legend. And then you will leave at once."

"Wufan, you can't just--"

The woman sternly held up her hand to stop the Medium and continued.

"In ages past, humanity once lived in these lands. Through the blessings of Yggdrasil, they created we Vessels along with other servitor races. It was a calm time, filled with a tranquil peace that the power of Yggdrasil provided. However, that peace was not meant to last. One day, a colossal Titan, its form stretching out into the heavens, appeared and stole away Yggdrasil. With its blessings lost, many lives perished in the Titan's wake. We Vessels alone fought against this creature. Humanity on the other hand..."

Wufan clenched her fists and rage began to color her words.

"They fled! They turned their backs on us and left us to die! We, however, never gave in and managed to destroy the monster, removing its presence from the world forever. With the Titan's demise, Yggdrasil returned and granted its blessings to us and us alone. To this day, we continue to worship and offer our thanks to Yggdrasil."

She then turned to the Medium.

"...The Medium is human, but she is not like the cowards who fled from the Titan. She is the one true human with oracular powers... She alone can hear Yggdrasil's voice. Yggdrasil speaks through the Medium to this day to direct we Vessels. She is human, but nothing like you," she sneered. She then pulled out an old book and presented it to the party.

"I thank you for protecting her, but we cannot forgive your ancestors for turning their backs on the Titan. Here is your reward. As you are skilled in combat, you may find it useful. But never return here."

Wufan practically shoved the book into Reannan's hands, followed by whispering in her ear.

"Why did the Medium choose you to open up to...?"

"Huh?"

"You will not take her from here. She is happier with us!"

She pulled away, making the hatred in her eyes as clear as possible.

"And with that, I believe it is time for the guild to take their leave."

"But... they just got here!"

"I am sure they have more important matters to attend to than telling fanciful children's tales."

"Hey! You're being rude! You can't talk to--" Julianna started, but Reannan quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Read the mood for once, will you!" she whispered. Julianna looked around to see all the eyes in the town, both hidden and not, were fixated upon the group. Not only that, but it was clear that they all shared in Wufan's animosity. As much as she didn't want to, Julianna stepped down and held her daughter's hand.

The group followed Wufan to the town's entrance. After stepping through the gate, the door was slammed shut without a single word.

"Why would you treat them so horribly? I am human, too! They are no different than me!"

The guild could hear the Medium's protests through the door. The group stood in silence for a moment as the voices beyond the door slowly died down.

"Well, that could have gone better. What now?" Elana broke the silence between the members.

"I don't think there's anything we can do here," Reannan sighed, "I think our best course of action would be to speak with the Outland Count about this. It's possible that he might be able to shed some light on this whole deal with the Titan. I would like to think that it's still possible for there to be peace between our races."

"I don't know why we should even bother with them. I'm sure we can find Mana without their help," Julianna grumbled.

"They view this entire area as their territory. If we don't try to patch things up between us, it will make traversing this place all the more difficult. Not to mention, if they happen to find the others before us..."

"...I hate it when you're right. Fiiiiine! But I swear, if they harm a single hair on Mana's head, there will be hell to pay!"

Without any other option, the group backtracked through the forest toward the Geomagnetic Pole to make their report.


	11. Hollows

Meanwhile, in a forest just outside of the Misty Ravine, Xiao stood high up in a tree branch while keeping an eye out for the troublesome humans he had met earlier. As irritating as it was, he already knew that they wouldn't back off and leave just because he threatened him. He leaned up against the tree as he briefly looked back in the direction of Vessel Town. It had been several days since he had last been there. The other Vessels would probably think nothing of it since he usually acted on his own, to begin with. Wufan, on the other hand, would probably give him a stern talk about reporting in more often and working with the other Arcanists, as if he needed to hear another lecture. Technically, she was his boss, but thinking about dealing with her again made him want to just want to avoid the town even more.

But when his thoughts came to the Medium, he thought otherwise. She was probably worried that he hadn't been in town in a while. Just that thought made Xiao feel as though he should probably return as soon as he made sure that the humans weren't heading in this direction.

At that moment, he noticed another Vessel nearby. There, just below the tree he stood on, was a female Vessel that just wordlessly stared at him. From what he could tell, she looked like one of the town's guards, which begged the question of why she was all the way out here.

"What are you doing up there?" she asked. Xiao decided to give her the typical treatment that he gave strangers; he ignored her. For Xiao, there were three types of people in the world. If he liked someone, he would make sure to remember their name. If he hated someone, he would also make sure to remember their name, though not for the same reasons. If someone didn't fall under those two categories, he wouldn't bother to remember their names. There were already far too many individuals to deal with in this world and he didn't see a reason to hold onto such useless information. Seeing as how he rarely talked to other Vessels, he saw that learning about others was nothing more than a waste of time. This person that tried to get his attention fell under the third category.

"Can you hear me? Hello?"

The Vessel below continued to attempt conversation with Xiao over and over again, much to his annoyance. He had hoped that she would have gotten the message by now but she continued to call out. A sudden gust of wind blew past Xiao. He turned his head in the direction of the wind, only to find a large flying contraption sailing in the sky. His eyes fixated on the strange object as it continued along its path until finally disappearing into the distance.

"Are you interested in that? Those have been appearing in frequency in this area. Humans are housed within."

"Humans?!" Xiao suddenly shouted out loud. He winced back slightly from his sudden outburst but figured that he might as well get more information from this woman. He then slid down the tree and met with her face to face.

"...Tell me more."

"I have also heard that humans have traversed into Vessel Town. For what reason, I do not know."

"How could humans have gotten this far? Tch! What did they look like? Was it a human male and two small females?"

"No, it was five humans. All female."

"So, other humans have reached the Misty Ravine on those flying... things? Tell me, where did those five run off to?"

"I do not know. I was searching for them myself. Can I ask for your help in finding the humans?"

Xiao had noticed it earlier, but this Vessel that he was speaking with talked in a rather odd manner. Feeling a bit suspicious, he spoke.

"Sure, it is my duty to hunt down these humans. Let's go together."

"That is good to hear. Now then, let us be off. You can lead the way."

"...Just as I thought."

"Is there something the matter?"

"When I offered you aid, you didn't show the slightest amount of surprise. Anyone who lives in Vessel Town knows very well that I work alone. Just the fact that you're trying to talk to me in such a familiar manner already raises an alarm. Who are you, really?"

The Vessel girl stood still for a moment before giving a wide smile that stretched out from ear to ear.

"You. Noticed."

The mouth opened wide as a long black arm shot out. Xiao quickly deflected the appendage with his staff.

"Damned Hollows... your heinous ways make me sick!" Xiao spat at the creature. Although he didn't get along with the other Vessels, it wasn't like he was heartless toward them. Just knowing that this creature had used this woman's corpse as a puppet just to lure him to his death filled him with a terrible rage. As much as he hated humans, he hated the Hollows far more.

The Hollow possessing the Vessel girl spilled out of her mouth, causing the body to fall limply to the ground. With the body's crashing, two more Hollows slinked in from the shadows to join in. Xiao took a step back and shook his staff at the creatures.

"Back! S-stay back!" he cried out.

The Hollows ignored his words and slowly encroached upon him. Suddenly, all three stopped in place as the magic circle beneath them activated.

"...Really now? I knew that your kind were stupid, but you take it to a whole new level."

Xiao then tapped his staff on the edge of the glowing circle. The light quickly began to grow brighter by the second.

"Fade back into the mist from whence you came."

The circle then detonated, letting loose a small explosion that consumed the three Hollows. Xiao calmly leaned his back up against a nearby tree and waited for the smoke to clear before making any further moves. Once it did, he saw that only two Hollows remained. One of them took the brunt of the blast and evaporated away. The other two were badly damaged and began to move erratically. Feeling confidant, Xiao began to walk to them, ready to finish them off.

"Your kind have grown more resilient as of late. No matter, it won't take much to--Gah!"

Xiao suddenly stopped as soon as a black arm pierced through his gut. His eyes followed the appendage to see its source came from the Vessel girl's corpse.

"Geh! Another... one...?"

The arm tore itself out of his body, causing him to fall to the ground. Xiao angrily looked up as the fourth Hollow exited the corpse's body and approached.

~=====~

The party continued to make their way through the misty forest while keeping an eye out for the Vessel that attacked them earlier. Suddenly, the three heard a loud explosion coming from just up ahead. Without a word, they ran toward the sound. Once they arrived at the source, they found Xiao bleeding on the ground while some shadowy figures stood over him, primed to attack. Manami immediately tossed her hammer into the sky.

"Staaaaaaar☆Drop!"

With a swift kick, she launched her hammer at the Hollows, causing them to back away from the fallen Vessel. The party quickly made its way to Xiao, creating a wall between him and the creatures.

"You...! I told you to leave this place, you idiots!"

"Hey, only idiots call other people idiots, you idiot!" Aedric retorted.

"That... that doesn't make any sense!"

"All that aside, we came here to help you."

"I didn't ask for--"

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't ask for our help. I've heard that plenty of times before so let's just skip the monologues and get to the saving, alright? How's he look, Mana?"

"Uwaaaa... There's a hole in his stomach and he's bleeding... an awful lot... hehe."

"Please try to control yourself. You can save him, right."

"As long as he isn't immune to healing like you, I can manage."

"Good enough! Alright, Sis! Let's do this thing!"

"Mm! Got it!"

With that, Aedric and Reika charged at the ghost-like monsters. Aedric began to wildly swing around his massive sword, but the creatures easily side-stepped the assault. In an attempt to slow them down, Reika tried to strike at their legs, only to notice that they didn't seem to possess any.

"Mm, can't find their vitals..."

"And these things are fast as hell too. How are we even supposed to hit them?"

"...Hey, big one," Xiao called out to Aedric.

"Hm? Do you mean me? My name is Aedric, by the way."

"I don't care what your name is. Lure them over to that tree to your right."

"Oh! I get ya!"

Catching on to what Xiao was getting at, Aedric began to back away from the creatures while they pursued. Suddenly, a magic circle below them activated, trapping two of them in place. Due to his magic immunity, Aedric was unaffected by the circle's power. However, the third Hollow, the black one that caught Xiao off guard, stood just outside of the circle. It pointed its staff skyward as lightning began to coil around it.

"Well, this could be a problem," Aedric laughed as he prepared himself to dodge the attack. The bolts of lightning shot off quickly as Aedric dove back and forth to avoid them. No matter how he tried, he wasn't able to close the distance to the other Hollows. At this rate, the circle would wear off before he could accomplish anything.

"Hey! I thought you were immune to that kind of thing! Why are you dodging?!"

"I told you already, my clothes aren't immune and I don't exactly have a wide selection of clothing on me. Also, I really like this shirt!"

"Of all the stupid things..."

"Mm, don't worry. I got this."

Reika, who had been standing on the sidelines for a while was in a runner's stance. Mana pulsated throughout her body to the beat of her heart. That mana turned into small bursts of strengthing magic on both her legs and lungs. It was a technique she had taught herself in Armoroad. A move that would grant her not only an immense boost of speed but make it impossible to sense her presence. Whenever she used this, it was almost as though she had ceased to exist in this world. She let out one short breath.

"Point. Ze.Ro"

And suddenly, the girl was gone. In that instant, the head of one of the Hollows was lopped off. In the next instant, the body of one of the others was bisected in two. The black Hollow stopped its assault and looked around for this invisible assailant. And just as it turned its attention away, its arms and lower half were gone. As its upper body fell, it was stabbed through the chest and Reika suddenly became visible again. All at once, the three Hollows faded into mist. Reika then returned Tasogare to its talisman covered sheath and breathed deeply.

"Mm! We won!"

"Good job, Sis!"

The two cheered and gave each other a high five in celebration. They then turned their attention back to the fallen Xiao.

"Hey, how's the patient doing?"

"As long as he rests, he should be fine," Manami reported.

"Good to hear. While we're here, we might as well have a little chat."

"I don't want to talk to humans. Just leave this place already."

"You know, we would have left by now, but we're kind of lost. You wouldn't happen to know a way out of here, would you?"

"Lost?! How stupid are you to get lost in a place like-- Geh!"

"Oops~. Sorry~. My finger slipped♥."

"You clearly did that on purpose! Ugh, what a pain... Didn't you three come here on one of those flying things?"

"Hm? You mean there are skyships here? Hey girls, it looks like the rescue party is on the way!"

Reika and Manami cheered at the idea of finally leaving this forest, leaving Xiao stupified.

"You mean... you really were lost? Well, whatever. Now that you can go back to wherever you came from, can you tell the other humans that we Vessels want nothing to do with you? Just hurry up and leave our lands."

"Why do you hate us so much? What did we ever do to you?"

"It's because humans are nothing but spineless cowards who run from the first sign of trouble. They would rather choose to abandon their allies and live longer lives than to fight alongside them."

"You mean the same cowards who just ran in and saved you?"

"...That was a fluke, I'm sure. You three are clearly too stupid to run away."

"Thanks! I'll take that as a compliment!"

"And you're annoying to boot! Just hurry and get lost, will you?!"

At that moment, two Vessels stepped out of the brush.

"Humans? What are--Xiao! How dare you!"

The Vessels immediately drew their weapons, ready to attack the party.

"Stand down! These humans... they helped me dispatch some Hollows. That's all."

A look of shock came over the two as they hurried over to the Arcanist.

"We need to get you back to Vessel Town. Something horrible has happened!"

"Horrible?"

"Hollows invaded the town and took the Medium!"

"What?! Geh!"

Xiao doubled over in pain as his wound opened up again.

"How could you just let Hollows into the town?!"

"They... they just swarmed in with no warning. They were far more coordinated than usual. There was nothing we could do!"

"I won't hear any excuses... I knew I shouldn't have left the Medium in the care of idiots! Fine then! I'll find her and slaughter those... geh!"

Xiao fell over again, struggling to get to his feet. Aedric knelt down and held out his hand.

"I'll help you up."

"I don't need any help from a human! This is all your fault! If you never came to this place, then the Medium would have never been captured!"

"If it is my fault, then I'll own up to it. I'll help you guys find this Medium."

"You'll... what? We don't need any help from--"

"Yeah, yeah. You said that already so I'm just going to ignore that. Anyway..."

Aedric then picked Xiao up in a princess carry.

"Whoa! You're surprisingly light, you know that?"

"Unhand me! I don't want to be carried by a stupid human!"

"You know, if you keep squirming around like that, you're just going to open your wounds again. And if that keeps happening, then who's going to save the Medium?"

"...Tch!"

"Good boy. Now then, can you two lead us to the village? We'll help in any way we can."

The two Vessels looked at each other in confusion over what they should do. When they looked at Xiao, he quickly turned away in embarrassment.

"...Just do it."

"Then, allow us to show you the way."

The party then followed the two Vessels into the Misty Ravine.


	12. Wufan's Confession

The party met with a ghastly sight. Beyond the door they just crossed was a blood-soaked battlefield. Injured Vessels with fresh wounds were scattered about with a few tending to the critically injured. And on the other end of the battlefield sat a pile of unmoving Hollows, their bodies slowly vanishing into the mist. The members of the party looked around, unsure of where to start. However, before any of them could speak, a familiar voice called out. [CV: Kenjiro Tsuda]

"Hey, looks like we're both okay... So to speak," the man called Whirlwind laughed. The guild had met this man several times by this point. He was an explorer who often traveled alone. In the brief moments that the group spoke with him, he had always proven to be reliable and often gave advice about the labyrinths and nearby caves. And here, the man sat down next to a few other Vessels, clearly injured from whatever happened here.

Whirlwind shifted about as he made an effort to stand back up.

"There were tons of Hollows holed up in here until just a moment ago. We just finished a big scrap with them."

"And what of Wufan? I don't see her anywhere," Reannan asked.

"Wufan was in the thick of it too, but she's gone on ahead. It was the damndest thing... Seemed like Wufan was talking to their boss," the man furrowed his brow in deep thought as he recalled the scene.

"Hollows can talk? The ones we encountered only made strange noises."

"The way I heard it, Hollows can only talk to other Hollows. The other Vessels seemed pretty surprised too. Long story short, she finished off that Hollow with a spell, but she seemed plenty pale afterwards."

With a small grunt, Whirlwind limped his way past the group and headed to the door. Before he opened it, he spoke one last time.

"What do you think it said to her...? I'd love to know, but I've gotta head back to town. Don't push yourselves too hard now, okay?"

With a light wave, he opened the door and left the party with the gruesome scene.

"It's horrible... Elana, is there anything you can do?"

"I can use my runes to ease their suffering, but without someone experienced in the medical arts, I'm afraid that's all I can do."

"I see. Then, perhaps we should turn back and bring Isaac along."

"Oh, come on! We're already wasting enough time!" Julianna complained, "If we're going to help that girl, then we can't be stuck wallowing around here."

"I know that... but I can't just..."

"Well, well. Ain't this a dour scene."

The party turned back to the door to see that other members of their guild had arrived: Aisha, Faedyn, Isaac, and the Zodiac Serias. [CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki]

"So these are the Vessels? Splendid!" Serias laughed, "Listen well, mortals! Before you all stands--"

Aisha immediately smacked the Zodiac on the back of his head.

"None of that demon god crap while you're here, understand? These people are already wary of us as is."

"Kuhaha! As you wish, Captain!"

"You four... what are you doing here?" Reannan inquired.

"Express orders from the Count. 'All Medics should report to the Misty Ravine and assist with helping the injured'," Isaac explained as he began to pull out various medical supplies, "Normally, I'd complain about the cost, but the Count is footing the bill on this one so I had no reason to refuse."

"And what a sum it is! Anything we don't use for supplies we get to keep! I knew that sticking with the Kurohana Guild was where the money was at."

"Rean, you five go on ahead. I'll handle protecting these people from further attacks," Faedyn stated, drawing her sword and keeping it at the ready.

"Alright then. Just don't push yourself too hard, Fae."

"What? Are you worried about me? Don't be. Soon enough, I'll be joining you in the labyrinth again. At that time, you'll be wondering how you ever managed without me."

"Heh, then I'll leave it to you then."

"If you two are done flirting then can we hurry up? We're on a time limit here!" Julianna grumbled.

"W-we're not flirting! Rean and I aren't like that!" Faedyn shouted while turning bright red.

"Oh? Oooooooh?! What's with that reaction~? Did I just stumble onto a gold mine~? C'mon Fae-Fae~! Tell me more about--Hey! Stop pulling me!"

Reannan grabbed Julianna by the collar of her jacket and began pulling her away.

"You said it yourself, we're on a tight schedule."

"Oh come on! I just found something juicy! You can't expect me to not dig in! Eh? Were your nails always that long? AAAAAAHHHH! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!!"

~=====~

Sometime later, the group finally arrived at B3F of the Ravine. Almost immediately, they were greeted with the smell of fresh blood. Fearing that another battle like the one above had unfolded, they cautiously moved forward. Just ahead of them, they spotted the Vessel named Wufan, seated in a meditative pose with her eyes shut. She appeared to be lightly injured, but she was still breathing. As the party approached her, she slowly opened her eyes and gave them a far calmer gaze than she had offered them previously.

"...I have something for you. It's from the Medium. Take it."

She lightly picked up a book from her side and handed it to Reannan. Once the book was out of her grasp, she spoke again.

"A Hollow on the floor above said that I cannot be trusted with the Medium. That I cannot protect her. It must have been one of their tricks, but their words cut to my heart nonetheless."

Her eyes gazed downward.

"I must confess... I was dimly aware of it myself. As such, I have been contemplating the factors that led to this crisis. I asked myself, why could I not stay calm where you were concerned? The answer was obvious: I envied you. She is a human and I am a Vessel. It was obvious that she would be interested in her own kind. And yet... I cruelly spoiled her delight. I was unfair in my judgment and I pushed my own beliefs upon her without ever thinking of her feelings. As I watched her eyes brighten as she listened to your tales, a single thought entered my mind. This is where she belongs. That thought, that very idea, tore at me. The Medium, Xiuan, means so much to me. I could not bear to be apart from her. I did what I thought was right. But after I forced you all away, when I looked into her eyes... I did not want to admit it, but I was wrong. But it was too late. The emotional distress she felt when I trampled all over her heart must have called forth the Hollows from their underground lair. Everything... all of this is my fault!"

A light tear ran down the Vessel's face as she made a pained expression.

"You may think it opportunistic of me, but I have a favor to ask of you. In return, I will help you however I can once this is over. For that... Will you go rescue the Medium? And once she is safe, take her with you... She can never be truly happy with us. The Medium will no longer smile upon me. I have lost her trust. My voice will not be heard now..."

She waited there, her eyes downcast, waiting for the party's answer. However, Reannan did not utter a word. Instead, she extended her hand to Wufan.

"It is not too late to apologize. Let us go save her, together."

Wufan lifted her head and gasped at the gesture.

"Are you asking me to come with you? I..."

She only hesitated for a moment. With the fire returning to her eyes, she grasped Reannan's hand and picked up her staff with the other, and lifted herself up.

"As you wish. I will do my best to aid you, Kurohana."

Wufan then turned to the door leading further into the labyrinth.

"I will lead you all to the Hollow's lair where their Queen awaits. I believe that is where we will find the Medium. Let us tread carefully, there are still many twists and turns to this forest. There is no telling when the Hollows may ambush us or how."

With Wufan leading the way, the party continued further into the Misty Ravine.


	13. The Hollow Queen

The party entered the door. The moment they passed through, they could feel the presence of a very powerful creature. It wasn't unusual for them to feel something when they encountered a presence like this, but this one felt a bit different. A cold sweat broke out on each of the six, as though their bodies were warning them not to go any farther.

"This is indeed the nest of the Hollows. Such a frightful presence," Wufan muttered as she continued forward. The others followed suit so as not to fall behind. It wasn't long before they caught a glimpse of the being that resided here. There, at the far reaches of the room, was an enormous Hollow swaying to and fro. This creature could only be the one that Wufan referred to as the Hollow Queen. The Queen did not appear to notice the trespassers as they drew in closer, she only hummed a wordless lullaby as she continued about her business. Elana perked up as she listened to the tune.

"Wait a moment. That's the same song the Medium sang before."

"But why would...!!"

Wufan was the first to notice the small girl lying unconscious at the Queen's feet. Much like when the Medium sang her song, small, firefly-like orbs danced about the pair as the Hollow seemingly sang to the sleeping child.

"Xiuan!" Wufan shouted the Medium's name as she began to run toward the creature. The singing stopped and the lights died. The Queen turned toward her guests with narrowed eyes.

"Get away from her!!"

With the raising of a single arm, the Queen spawned two Hollows to bar Wufan's path. Their staves instantly charged with lightning as they pointed them at the hasty Arcanist. However, Beatrice immediately shot forward and pushed her out of the way, taking the attacks in her place.

"Ufuuun♥!"

"Ah! I'm sorry! Are you alright?!"

"She's fine! Just get your head back in the game and do your job!" Julianna shouted as she ran past Wufan to engage the Hollows.

"Well, you heard the woman. Now then, let's get this party started!" Elana struck a pose as she prepared her song.

"Song No. 2: Leap Wishes."

The song began. As the music began to build up, Olga shot one of her arrows at one of the guard's legs, pinning it down. Following suit, Wufan moved her staff in a circular motion, instantly forming a circle around the creatures. With the speed at which this circle formed, it was no surprise that she was the Arcanist's leader. The Hollows found themselves completely unable to budge from their spots, but the Queen paying it no mind. Instead, she quickly swiped at the air. Despite the distance, the group was struck as though they were right in front of her.

"Khhh! Hey! That's not fair!" Julianna complained.

"Who said it had to play fair?!" Reannan shouted back as she blew onto her outstretched finger. A small spark of lightning appeared on that finger. She then swiped it in a similar manner to what the Queen did, sending a long coil across the battleground, striking the two Hollows and frying one of them to dust. With one of the guards gone, the Queen spoke indescribable words. The temperature suddenly dropped and the area was bathed in a deep blue coloring. Before the party could prepare, a torrent of icy wind struck the group. Although most of them still managed to hold their ground, Beatrice was struck the hardest and fell to the ground.

"Beato! Hold on!"

Julianna quickly ran to her daughter and pulled out a Nectar. Wufan, realizing that the party was hurting badly, tapped her staff to the circle, dispelling it. The mana used to create the circle instead turned into a healing aura, closing any wounds that the group had suffered thus far. The Queen began to speak again. Without wasting any time, Reannan formed the runes for the Ice Lance spell and fired it at the remaining guard. The spear pierced through the creature effortlessly and continued toward the Queen herself. The icy spear struck, causing the Queen to screech out in an unearthly howl. This howl called forth two more Hollows for the party to contend with, spellcasters this time. Wufan understood this and quickly placed another circle down, one that tied their mouth's shut.

The Queen, angered by how much trouble these pests were giving her, moved her arm again, only to be met with intense pain. At some point in the chaos, Olga had fired one of her barbed arrows into it. At this point, the Queen was essentially tied down and helpless. The group would not give her any mercy and began their true assault, cutting into her and having spells launched at her body. Just as it seemed that everything was going well, Olga's arrow broke. The Queen wasted no time cutting into the air again, dealing heavier damage to the party due to their proximity to her person. Olga fell and struggled to get back up and Elana's song was halted. And if that wasn't bad enough, the binds that tied down the two other Hollows fell away.

Wufan once again dispelled the circle to assist the group as they were pelted by bolts of ice from the spellcasters. The Queen, feeling as though she had done enough, lifted both arms to the sky. The deep blue the arena was bathed in darkened and all three of the Hollows appeared to grow stronger in this darkness. From this darkness, black shadowy hands coiled across the ground and latched onto the group, preventing them from moving.

"Tch! Olga! Grab it!"

Julianna threw a bottle of Nectar toward Olga, hoping that she would be able to drink it. Elana had already managed to stand up halfway by the time the shadows grabbed her. She let out a mocking smile as her runes reappeared around her.

" _2nd Verse._ "

The music that once played shifted tone. Although she wasn't able to dance, she could at least sing. The song she sang was the same as before, but not only was the music different but the way she sang it was different as well. This gave the song a new feeling and with those feelings, the effects of her runes shifted as well. This song called forth the party's second wind.

The Queen moved to answer the group's defiance but stopped short as her body slowed down. It wasn't only her, but the spellcasters she created as well. Below them was another one of Wufan's circles and this one injected a magical poison into their systems. That moment's relapse was all that was needed for Olga to fire another arrow into her arm. In that same instant, Wufan changed the circle's properties and tied down the creature's heads again. The battle had completely shifted momentum once again.

The Queen attempted to back away from the group, to at least evade their attacks again before these annoying bind could wear off, but Olga fired yet another arrow into its leg, preventing her from escaping. Not only that, but Wufan quickly changed the circle to tie down the other Hollows as well, preventing them from helping their Queen. With the Queen immobile once again, the group went for one final assault. Beatrice, Julianna, and Elana cut into her. Reannan created orbs of flame and launched them at her. Olga continued to aim for the vital points to keep her from escaping. And Wufan stood back, ready to respond to whatever the Queen might attempt to do.

Finally, Julianna stuck her blade into the Queen's chest and ripped it out in as violent a manner as she could muster. A strange liquid spewed from the creature's body before it fell back, crushing her two guards beneath her body. The creature lifted its arm one last time, reaching out toward the still sleeping Medium. Its mouth moved, saying something that only other Hollows would understand.

"M̶͍̱̥̻̳̥̊͜͜͜e̷͇̦͈̼̪̘̲̤̰̤͋͑̓͛̚d̴̛͕̅̊͠i̴̝͚̳̙͇̗͒͂̊̀̌̃̋̇̚ų̴̘͕͘m̷̫͎̟̲̲̲̦̒̒.̸̧̛̛̹͚̂́͑̆ ̸̢̝̤͖̔͐̐̔͋ ̶̢̧̹̳̻̲̬͖̻̑͑̈̌̀́̎͝S̶͚̋̈́̂͛̏̉͛̚ŏ̸̝̙̈́͝u̵̦̯͉̒̆̌͋̾͠l̸̡̪͍̞̪͉͆̾.̷̢̡̨̩̜̩̹̲͖́̀͐̕ ̴̬̜̖̏͋́̍̃͠ͅ ̶̢̛͉̟̪̼́̆͠͠Ô̵̡̡̮̫̗̳̩̠͍̈̾̾͠ů̴̮͖̹̞̼̝̲͔̚ř̴̥̞͍̰̣̂͐̈̽̋̿͛̕̚s̴̪͙̻̯̦̈́̈́͘ͅ.̶̧̝͖͆͛̌̽͘"

Her arm fell and with that, her entire body dissipated into mist. The very moment the Queen's body was gone, the Medium stirred and rose up.

"Xiuan... oh, thank goodness you're safe..." Wufan immediately rushed to the girl's side and pulled her up, "I'm so glad!"

Xiuan turned to the party.

"Members of Kurohana... Thank you. I feel as if I've been trapped in a dream... It's a strange feeling. I saw everything while I was asleep. How you were fighting, and how you got hurt..."

She then looked to Wufan and continued shyly.

"I'm sorry I worried you so. I really like you, Wufan. I'll be sure to be more open henceforth. I hope you'll stay at my side..."

Wufan opened her mouth but stopped. She wanted to tell Xiuan how she should be one to apologize but chose not to. Instead, she simply smiled and embraced the girl. Xiuan too returned the hug. To the rest of the party, these two looked as though they were mother and daughter. The two separated and Wufan addressed the group.

"Thank you, Kurohana, for all that you have done here. If there is anything I can do to repay you, please, name it."

"...There is something that I hope you can help with."

Reannan then told the tale about how the guild came to these lands. About the dragon that destroyed the skyship and their missing comrades.

"I see. So that is what brought you to these lands. If that is all, then you needn't worry. We Vessels shall aid you in your search. If they still reside here, we will find them."

"That would be very helpful. Thank you."

"Another dead end, huh? Do you have any other bright ideas, Princess? Don't tell me that you think that they flew past this place too?" Julianna asked in an irritated tone.

"I highly doubt that they could have flown that far. I'm still fairly certain that they're around here somewhere."

"Good, because I don't want to get dragged along for yet another labyrinth only to find nothing again."

"...Nothing is forcing to come along, you know."

As the two began to bicker again, a group of three people watched the scene from the brush.

"Ah, there they go again. I was hoping that we could have come in before they starting talking about us..." Aedric scratched the back of his head. What he really wanted was to jump in during the battle against the Queen, to save the party when things got dire in a big climactic moment. But the battle had already ended by the time they had arrived.

"Oh well... might as well not push this off any longer than necessary. Right, girls?"

"...Wait," Manami spoke quietly as she watched her mother intently.

"Mm? Something wrong, Mana?" Reika asked. Manami didn't answer right away and continued to look on. It wasn't long before Beatrice turned in their direction and spotted them. As she made to call out, Manami shook her head. She then began to use sign language to her sister. Aedric and Reika couldn't tell what she was saying, but Beatrice seemed to understand. With a quick nod, she pulled on her mother's arm.

"Mama, I think Mana is doing fine. The reason why she wanted to go on the skyship was because the town was boring. She wanted to see the land around Tharsis, not just the city itself. And I feel the same way. Ever since we left the city, I've been having so much fun! I like traveling around with you and the guild. So that's why I don't think we should be worried about Mana. I bet that she's having fun too!"

"Fun? What could possibly be fun about running around in dangerous lands and sleeping in the outdoors?"

"But doesn't Papa like doing that?"

"...Ugh! Why did you three have to inherit his adventurous spirit... Your Mama hates camping! Hates it! It's not fair!"

"Do not worry, Julianna. Once we return to Vessel Town, I will inform my Arcanists to begin searching for your daughter immediately. You need not worry about her safety any longer," Wufan assured the woman.

"...If you say so," Julianna sighed, "Fine then. I take it that we'll need that tablet over there to reach the next area, right? Might as well get it done and over with."

"Eh? Wait, you're coming with us?" A look of shock came over Reannan's face.

"Well, my vacation is already ruined and I can't relax until Mana is found, so I might as well see this the rest of the way through. Besides, I can just take out all my pent up stress on any monsters that get in my way. That'll teach them!"

"...Glad to see that you're so gung-ho about this. Oh! I almost forgot," Reannan reached into her pack and pulled out a letter, "This is for you. It's from the Outland Count of Tharsis. He asked us to deliver this letter."

As Reannan made to hand Xiuan the letter, she politely declined.

"The Outland Count? Hmm... I'd rather speak to him directly than communicate through letters. Is that all right with you, Wufan?"

Wufan simply nodded to the Medium's request.

"Then it is settled. Would you all be so kind to escort us to Tharsis? I apologize if we are asking too much of you."

"Not at all. Come, we'll take you to our ship."

One by one, the group began to leave, with Olga trailing at the end once she realized that no one had grabbed the tablet. Once everyone had left, the other three stepped out of hiding.

"Are you sure about this, Mana?" Aedric asked the young girl.

"I miss my Mama, but I can always see her later. At that time, I'll apologize to her properly. If we came out right there, I would have been dragged back to town and that would be the end of things. At first, I was scared of this place. But after traveling with you and Reika-Onee-chan, I... I want to see more! Not just from the skyship, but from the ground too. I want to see the flora and fauna of these lands. I want to see the creatures that roam the plains. I want to see how they bleed and--"

"Okay! I got the point! You want to keep going on an adventure, right?"

Manami nodded.

"I need to show Mama that I can be fine on my own. You said it yourself, I too have what it takes to be an adventurer!"

"Haha! Is that so? How about you Reika?"

"Mm, I'm fine with it! Onee-chan needs to learn that I can take care of myself too! Mm!"

"As long as you two are okay with it, I am too! As the tour guide for this adventure, I say we stop by Vessel Town and pick up some supplies before heading into a new land. And maybe let it slip that they don't really need to look for us while we're there."

The girls gave their affirmation and the group began to head back from where they came from, this time ready to start their journey in earnest.


	14. Preparations for the North

A few days later after the group got a bit sidetracked in the forest, Aedric's group finally arrived in Vessel Town. When the party entered the town they were pleasantly surprised. There was a multitude of Vessels roaming about the place, unlike how it was when they first arrived with Xiao. Not only that, but there were a few human explorers happily chatting away with the locals. Even as they walked toward the center of town, they were warmly greeted by those passing by. It was almost like a complete 180 from how they were treated before.

"Wow, this place sure changed quickly," Aedric marveled. As he looked around for some kind of shop, the group was approached by a pair who happened to be in the area. It was Wufan and the Medium, Xiuan.

"Would you happen to be more explorers from Tharsis? We have been seeing a lot of your kind here as of late," Wufan bowed slightly in greeting, "Nevertheless, I welcome you all to Vessel Town, travelers."

"Thanks! You're... Wufan, right? It's nice to meet you! You wouldn't happen to know of any shops around here for adventuring supplies, would you?"

"A shop? We do not exactly have that sort of thing here, I'm sorry to say. Hm? How have you come to learn my name, traveler? I do not believe we have met before."

"Oh, I overheard your name a few days ago when you were talking with the others. The three of us are members of the Kurohana Guild."

Wufan furrowed her brow as she began to study Aedric's appearance.

"How strange... I do not remember seeing you among their ranks on that skyship of theirs... Oh! You wouldn't happen to be Aedric, Reika, and Mana, would you?"

"That would be us! As you can see, we are all fit as a fiddle!"

Upon hearing the news, Wufan let out a sigh of relief.

"The members of your guild have been worried sick over your wellbeing. They will be greatly relieved to hear that you three are alright."

"Yeah, would you be able to pass that along to them? We've decided to continue our journey on foot for a while longer, just let them know that we'll meet up with them later. Oh, and make sure you let them know that it was my idea."

"Eh? But it was my idea to--" Manami started but Aedric stopped her.

"Don't worry, I'll take the full blame for it. I can take the heat. Hell, if your mom wants to attack me, she's free to try. It'll make for a funny story that I can tell to Jubei the next time I see him."

"I'm not sure I quite follow your reasoning, but I will pass along your message," Wufan placed a hand on her chin, "However... you say that you plan to travel by foot? I do not feel that is very wise."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"I have only briefly been to the land north of here and I can say that it is bitterly cold. The ground there is covered in a white sand that your guild calls 'snow'. I am not quite familiar with this snow, but the temperature in this land does drop enough for us to see the occasional crystal of ice. I can assuredly say that you three are very ill-equipped for handling such a harsh climate."

"Snow, huh? I can't say I'm much a fan of the cold," Aedric grumbled, "You wouldn't happen to have any coats, would you?"

"We do have something that you may be able to use, but I don't believe... Hold for a moment."

Wufan turned and quickly jogged into the town, leaving the Medium behind.

"So, uh, Medium? This town sure has changed since the last time we were here."

"It's alright. The rest of your guild refers to me as Xiuan, so I shall extend that courtesy to you as well. As for the town, the Vessels here have started to interact with other humans at my behest. It appears that there may have been a misunderstanding between our races sometime in the past, so many of them have started visiting Tharsis and even joining other guilds to learn more about them. I feel as though many of them wish to make up for lost time, so please do not mind it if a few of them come off as a little overzealous."

Xiuan then turned to the busy streets and watched a few interactions between the Vessels and other explorers with a warm look in her eyes.

"I wonder if this was what it was like when we all lived in harmony with one another."

"I apologize for the wait."

Wufan returned to the group, carrying a small coat that would fit her frame. She then opened the coat and showed a ᛋ rune inscribed within.

"Elana inscribed this Sol rune onto our clothing when we ventured into the northern lands. When the rune is filled with mana..."

Wufan traced her fingers along the rune's shape. As she did so, its color changed from white to bright orange. She then held the coat to the party for them to get a closer look.

"Mm! It's warm!" Reika cried out. Manami placed her own hand above the rune to confirm as well.

"I believe that there are a few Runemasters here in town at the moment, so we should be able to replicate the effect. It isn't much, but it should protect you somewhat against the frigid winds."

Aedric then placed his own hand above the rune and frowned.

"You wouldn't happen to have any heavier coats, would you? Or even some blankets that I could wrap around myself?"

"Is the rune not sufficient enough?"

"More like I can't feel anything from it. I kind of have an immunity to mana so things like that don't have an effect on me. I mean, sure, I'm an absolute nightmare for wizards to deal with, but it becomes a bit of an issue when it comes to helpful things like this. Or healing magics. That one is always a bit of a problem."

"Is that so? In that case, I will see what we can find for you."

"Thanks! You're a big help, Wufan."

"While we are still on the subject, do you three plan to travel by yourselves? My Arcanists have shown a great deal of interest in the lands beyond here as of late. If it would be to your liking, I am most certain that one of them would assist you on your travels."

"A Vessel, huh? Sure! We could always use more travel companions! Especially if any of them are even half as cute as you!" Aedric laughed.

"I thought I heard the bellowing of an idiot. Quiet down, will you? Some of us aren't used to such loud chatter," the voice of Xiao commented as he passed by the group.

"Hey, Xiao! Good to see that you're still alive!"

"Idiot. Of course I'm still alive. I wouldn't die to such shallow wounds."

"...You two know each other?" Wufan tilted her head.

"They're just a group of idiots that I found lost in the woods. Nothing more."

"Yeah, right! We totally saved your ass from those Hollow things the other day! No thanks necessary though, I am a hero, after all. Saving the weak is part of my job."

"Who are you calling weak? I would have been perfectly fine even if you hadn't shown up. Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do."

"...Xiao, you go with them," Wufan stated flatly. Xiao stood still for a moment as though trying to understand what exactly Wufan just said to him.

"Huh? Why should I? Tell someone else to do it."

"You are already familiar with these three and it also sounds as though you owe them a debt for saving your life. This will be a good experience for you, perhaps you'll even learn the value of teamwork for a change. Therefore, as leader of the Vessel Arcanists, I order you to accompany the Kurohana Guild in their travels."

"I'll pass. You're only the daughter of the village elder. I am not required to listen to what you have to say."

"Please, Xiao?" Xiuan pleaded, "Won't you help them?"

"...If the Medium requests it, then I have no reason to refuse. Worry not, I will protect them wherever they go."

"Eh? Really? Just like that?!" Aedric stood shocked by the sudden shift in Xiao's demeanor.

"So you'll listen to the Medium's words but not to those of your superiors," Wufan sighed.

"Her words carry far more weight than that of a babysitter's."

"...I can only dream that your travels will help cleanse that rotten mouth of yours."

"Now, now..." Xiuan stepped between the two Vessels, hoping to calm them down.

And thus the Arcanist, Xiao, (reluctantly) joined the party.


	15. Delivery

The party stepped out of the freezing cold and entered the cave known as the Cramped Nest. It wasn't warm by any means, not like the Golden Lair was, but at the very least the winds did not reach within. As long as the runes on their clothing were active, it was comfortable enough.

With the lunchbox in hand, they ventured further into the cave, searching for their client's husband. As they did so, a soldier stationed near the entrance hailed the group.

"Ho there. We're investigating this labyrinth right now. Do you need something from our squad?"

"Yes, we are of the Kurohana guild. We were sent here on a request to deliver this lunch to a soldier stationed here," Reannan greeted the man.

"So now we're making deliveries? What's next? Walking the Count's dog?" Julianna complained.

"We've been doing this sort of thing since the guild was founded. We're getting paid for this so why are you complaining?"

"I'm complaining for the sake of complaining. If I have something to say, I'm going to voice my opinion!"

"...Anyway, we're looking for a man who forgot his lunch at home. Do you know where he might be?" Reannan turned back to the soldier. The man laughed in response.

"That might be a problem. Our squad all has similar names... Who are you trying to find?"

"I think his name was Al, wasn't it?"

"You'll have to try better than that I'm afraid. The other soldiers we have stationed here are Albert, Alistair, Aldis, and Alfred. Do any of those names ring a bell?"

"So many Als... Al...dis... I believe. Yes, I'm certain that it was Aldis."

"Let me see your map for a second."

The soldier studied the map for a brief moment before pointing at a particular quadrant.

"Aldis is... Hmm. Going by your map, he should be around area B-3."

"So that means that he's... right past that wall. Go figure," Julianna threw her hands up, as though she expected that he would be at a difficult to reach spot.

"Funny that we all have similar names, isn't it? In the city they call us Team A. Though my name is Ben..."

Despite the cave's walls keeping much of the wind out, a cold gust blew between the group and the soldier.

"...Was that supposed to be a joke? Were we supposed to laugh there?"

"...Well I thought it was a little funny..." the soldier spoke meekly as he returned to his position.

The group then directed their attention to the rest of the cave. The room they were in didn't seem to have any sort of exit leading to the rest of the cave. After looking about the place, each of them noticed that the room was littered with small crevices lined with icicles blocking the view as to where they led. Getting rather impatient, Julianna began to try and force her way through one of the crevices.

"Hey, don't do that!" Isaac warned, "We should look around and see if there's some sort of hidden path that we aren't noticing."

"What the big deal... we just need to... break through here and... we'll be--OW!"

The succubus immediately backed out with a bleeding arm. Upon seeing that, Isaac sighed as he began to rummage through his bag.

"I thought I told you to be patient... This could have been prevented if you would only listen to me..."

"I do what I please, thank you very much! And how was I supposed to know that--OW! Watch it!"

Isaac quickly disinfected the wound and dressed it up as tightly as he could.

"Suck it up. This stuff isn't cheap, I'll have you know. Perhaps a bit little pain will teach you the importance of thinking about your actions. That is unless you want me to charge you each time I have to heal your accident-prone ass."

"Unyuuun♥" Beatrice cried out as she touched one of the icicles, pulling back a bleeding hand.

"Hey! What did I just tell your mother?! Why would you do that anyway?!"

"I just wanted to know how much it hurt."

"For the love of... are you an idiot or something?! Ugh, just give me a second. I'm almost done with your mother."

"Fuyuuun♥"

"Did you just touch it again?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"It gives a nice tingle in my arm when I touch it♥!"

"...Don't tell me that you're getting frostbite... AUGH!! I'm coming right over! Just keep your hands to yourself, you dumbass!"

"Hey! Don't talk to my daughter like that!"

"It's okay, Mama. I like getting an angry tongue-lashing sometimes~!"

"Oh, then it's okay, I guess~."

"...There is something seriously wrong with your family. I shudder to think what the other girl is like..."

"Well, Mana seemed to be pretty normal to me," Reannan spoke up, recounting her short encounter with the young Medic.

"Of course she's normal. Like me, she likes to kick people when they're down and look upon their agonized faces~! I can't say that I understand her blood fetish though, but hey, I've never tried it so maybe she's on to something~!"

"...How on earth did Sora turn out so... uh, I guess normal would be a good word for it," Olga pondered.

"Huh? Normal? Sora is just a daddy's girl who keeps chasing after her father and spouting cringy one-liners in an effort to be just like the mental image she has of him in her head. If anything, she's the weird one!"

A cold wind blew between the group once again.

"Where does that wind keep coming from? Well, it's not like it's that cold~. This place has nothing on the frigid winds of Cocytus. It's not even enough to get my nipples to stand on end~. Ufufuun~!"

"...Do you ever think about the things that come out of that mouth of yours?" Isaac grumbled.

"Oh, come on~! I bet you just tried to sneak peek when I said that, you dirty boy you~!"

"I already have a fiance and I'm not interested in harlots such as yourself. There, you're all patched up. Now, don't touch anything, understand. Otherwise I... I _won't_ yell at you again."

"Oh, okay. Make sure to yell at me lots later, okay?"

Suddenly, a large bat flew out from a hole in the wall. The party watched carefully as it circled about before leaving through one of the crevices.

"I guess that's our way forward. Come on, let's move on."

As the party followed Isaac's lead, Reannan looked back to the entrance of the cave.

"Is something wrong?" Olga asked her.

"No. I'm just glad that the others don't have to deal with this horrible weather," the Princess stated as she moved to follow the others.

~=====~

"Achoo!!" Aedric sneezed as the group walked through the snowy fields. He then whined as he pulled his scarf from his face.

"Aww, man. I got snot all over it again..."

"Thanks for sharing..." Xiao said in a sarcastic tone.

This group had been traveling through the mountains for some time now. Thanks to the Sol runes on their clothing, the weather hardly affected most of the group. Only the occasional gust would cut through, but even then it would be dampened by a considerable amount. Unfortunately, this did not apply to Aedric. He ended up having to bundle up far more than the rest of the group. Multiple layers of clothing, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and to top it all off, multiple blankets were haphazardly wrapped around him. He honestly looked like a large technicolor ball slowly waddling through the snow.

"Aaaaaaah! It's so cold! Can't we just stop somewhere and make a fire?"

"Already? We've only been walking for a few hours. At this rate, we're going to use up all our firewood!"

"Mm, that's okay! I think there's a ridge up ahead with some trees. We can get more wood there, mm!" Reika pointed out.

"Thank you, Reika! Your big brother loves you so much right now!"

"We're never going to make any progress at this rate," Xiao sighed, "Why did I ever agree to come here...?"

"Because your crush told you to help us out and you can't say no to her, that's why."

"Just how many times do I have to repeat myself? The Medium is a central part of our religion. She alone can hear the voice--"

"--Of Yggdrasil. And we Vessels follow her guidance to enrichen our own lives. Yeah, you keep repeating the same thing verbatim every single time. But you know what, the more you deny it, the more I think you like her."

"Fine then. I'll stop talking about it and ignore you for the rest of the trip."

Xiao then began to pick up his pace, leaving Aedric behind.

"H-hey! I can't walk much faster than this. C'mon! You know that I was joking, right? Right? Xiao, please! It's lonely back here! Hey!"

~=====~

Meanwhile back in the Cramped Nest, the party continued along the bat-infested halls until they at last found a pitful-looking soldier squatting near a wall. Based on what the man near the entrance said, this was more than likely Aldis.

"Excuse me, are you--"

"That smell!" he exclaimed, startling the party as he shot up, "Is that my dear Claudia's cooking?! I thought I forgot it this morning... How?!"

The man then sank back into his corner.

"I must be hallucinating... Oh, no... I'm going to die. Damn it... I'm sorry, Dia..."

Despite the party's best efforts to get his attention, the man continued to repeat these words to himself. It appeared that he was so hungry that he had started to go insane. Without any further words, Reannan shoved the lunchbox in front of his face, hoping to get some sort of reaction. Like a hungry beast, the soldier snatched the box and began shoveling the homemade curry into his mouth with incredible fervor. Within moments, the box was empty without even a speck of sauce remaining.

"Wow, I literally came back to life! Man, that hit the spot!"

At this point, Aldis finally noticed the five people staring at him.

"Oh... hey, did you need something?"

Without a word, the party slowly backed off and walked away, leaving the confused soldier behind.


	16. The Sentinels

Deep within the now freezing Golden Lair, the party returned to a lake they had visited before. When they first arrived at this spot, the water was stretched out too far for them to jump across. There was the option of swimming across, but due to the fluctuating temperatures in this place, they had decided against it. Now, with the large flaming object that heated this place gone, the water had frozen over, allowing them to simply walk across.

Just when they were about to cross, however, they noticed a large figure in shining black armor now standing on the other end. The man himself seemed rather strange, he had a large club slung across his back and a sword at his side. Of course, the feature that stood out the most was his odd ox-shaped helmet.

"That sword... that's a katana! Like one of Papa and Sora's!" Beatrice called out.

"A katana...? I don't recall any explorers in Tharsis wielding one of those..." Reannan pondered before her eyes widened, "Wait... what about its sheath? Are there any paper seals on it?"

"Hm? Oh! I forgot that Sora gave Tasogare to Reika-Onee-chan! But, that katana doesn't look like the same sword."

"You can tell your Papa's swords apart? I'm actually surprised!" Julianna commented.

"Sora talks about them all the time! Reika-Onee-chan has Tasogare, the sword that can only be drawn in the darkest of twilights. Its power is so great that its sheath needs to be covered in paper seals to keep its terrible power from escaping!"

"...I'm pretty sure your Papa just said that it can cut evil spirits and your sister just plastered a bunch of paper on it to make it look cool, but if you want to believe in Sora's fairy tales, then go on ahead."

As the party talked among each other, the figure on the other end of the lake continued to stand there, his arms crossed and studying the group. Once it was clear that they would have to encounter this man, the party crossed the icy lake. Once they got close enough, they immediately noticed something. The thing that they thought was a helmet was in fact the man's head. The man dropped his arms and gazed at them with an astonished look. [CV: Kenta Miyake]

"This is a surprise! I thought a new monster had shown its face, but I see we have guests from the outside world. Well done in coming this far into the labyrinth!" the ox-headed man spread out his arms as his voice echoed through the cavern, "It's been well over ten years since we last had a human... My name is Kibagami, and I welcome you to our village!"

"We're... actually being welcomed? Well, that's a change..." Reannan paused for a moment before composing herself, "My name is Reannan and we are of the Kurohana Guild."

"Then, it is nice to meet you! Up ahead is the Sentinels' village. I have the responsibility of leading the Sentinels and keeping order."

The man then bent over with a stern look to his face.

"If you had come here with trouble in mind, my fangs would've snapped those thin necks."

He paused for a moment, letting those words sink in before letting out a boisterous laugh.

"But you must be tired. Follow me to the village!"

Kibagami turned to leave, walking straight toward the crossroad before turning back and waving at the group to follow. The group cautiously walked after him. Of the party, only Olga and Julianna were familiar with a friendly race of natives residing in the labyrinth, that being the Winged Ones of High Lagaard, whom their leader Canaan called the Siveta. As for the others, Reannan was mostly familiar with the hostility shown by both the Forest Folk of Etria and the denizens of the Deep City. Not to mention the treatment they received from the Vessels not that long ago.

The group soon came into an open cavity lined with fires to keep the bitter cold away. This open cavern held multiple stone buildings as well as what appeared to be monuments of some sort. As the party continued, they passed by a number of other Sentinels, each of them displaying some sort of bestial feature. Although they seemed surprised by their sudden visitors, they did not appear alarmed. In fact, many of them nodded in a friendly manner as a greeting. Before any of them could ask about Kibagami's whereabouts, the smell of something delicious caught their noses. There, stirring a cauldron, sat Kibagami. He quickly noticed the group's presence and hailed them over.

"We caught a good salmon the other day, so we're having it for dinner. Go on, sit!"

The group sat around the cauldron, each peering inside of it. It was filled with fish and various vegetables. The party had not eaten in quite some time so this was a very tempting offer for them.

"I thank you for your generosity, Kibagami. We--Are those potatoes?!" the Princess suddenly shrieked in happiness. Everyone in the village silently stared at her. After fidgeting a bit, Reannan cleared her throat and continued, "We would love to take you up on your offer."

"...What the hell was that?" Julianna commented with a bewildered look.

"For many centuries, we have bowed to the will of our creators, the humans. One of their instructions was this: Tell whoever comes from the outside world the history of the Sentinels. So you'll have to put up with some more speechifying from me, haha. But go on and eat while you listen."

Kibagami began to ladle out the contents into a bowl for each of the party members as he began to tell his story.

"Long ago, our ancestors once lived at the foot of Yggdrasil alongside our creators, the humans, and two other races. It was said to be a blissful time where our talents were used to great effect. However, that peace was not meant to last. A colossal Titan appeared one day and began a rampage that took many lives. All of us united against that evil beast and triumphed. With the Titan felled, it was sealed away within that abominable tree."

"Sealed? You mean within Yggdrasil?"

"Yggdrasil... We call it the demon tree, for that is where the Titan that destroys the world lurks. The Titan is an abomination. Where it walked, the earth broke, and those who approached were cursed to be plants. Still, our ancestors did not give up the fight. They withstood the curse and cut out the Titan's heart. One of our most intelligent comrades extracted the Titan's soul, while the humans took the Titan's crown. With the three emblems of its immortality gone, the Titan entered a deep slumber. We each took the relics to our homes so the Titan would never wake again. The war ended and the land was safe. Humans were not only our creators. They were our brothers in arms, whom we were proud to fight alongside."

Kibagami struck his chest as a sign of respect for the humans he now entertained.

"Tell me, how fares our comrades, the Vessels? We have not heard a word from them since the battle against the Titan. All is going well for them, I hope?"

"We met with them some time ago in the forests south of here. They are indeed doing well for themselves."

"Is that so? Then, tell them to come visit sometime! They are more than welcome here!"

At that moment, a young Sentinel walked up to Kibagami and whispered into his ear.

"Oh? Time already? I'm sorry, but I have something to attend to and must step away for a moment. Relax and make yourselves at home! You are among friends here. Well then...!"

The large Sentinel then got up and left through the cavity's western exit.

"That legend... it sounded similar to the tale that the Vessels told us," Olga commented as she finished up her plate.

"This is the first we've heard about the Titan being sealed away, let alone the three relics that keep it that way," Reannan pondered, "We should speak with Wufan about this the next time we meet up with her. Perhaps she knows more about the Titan's Soul."

"Didn't you all fight against a swarm of ghosts in that forest?" Isaac asked, "They had a Queen that spawned them, didn't they? Maybe that creature was the Soul."

"Those creatures, the Hollows, were living beings, not souls. Somehow I feel like they aren't connected."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know I thing or two about souls. Those monsters were something different, though I have no idea what."

"Ah! So that's why we were dragged here!" Julianna suddenly shouted, "That thing is only sealed, right? That means eventually we're going to fight it!"

"Huh? What makes you so sure about that?"

"That's just how things go! Some idiot is going to gather those three objects and revive the Titan! I know it! Damn that Ashley, that conniving bitch!"

"...Even if that is the case, from the people we met so far, not one of them would ever want that thing back in this world. All that aside, judging from the state of the Sentinels home, I'd wager that they were not the ones that created the original skyship. Which means, there's someone beyond this land. I'd imagine that it is the third race that Kibagami mentioned. Since they are the closest to the tree, perhaps they watch over the Titan, making sure that it never awakens. I say we ask Kibagami if he knows anything about the tablet that opens the path to the north."

Reannan stood up, followed by Olga and Isaac. Julianna and Beatrice however continued eating.

"You lot go on ahead. I don't have any interest in that sort of thing."

"...Suit yourself."

The three headed toward the west to where they last saw the Sentinel's leader. As they entered the chamber, they heard a loud painful cry. They turned to see a Sentinel child lying on a bed of flat rock, sweating profusely and his breathing labored.

"...What the hell is this?" Isaac placed his hand over his mouth in shock. Along the child's figure were large vines, seemingly growing out of his body along with large scab-like clumps of sap tangled in his fur.

"...I know that you have never seen the like of this before, but try not to show such surprise, my guests."

Kibagami passed by them, carrying wild herbs and a bowl of elixir. As he began to help the child drink, he spoke.

"I know a little about medicine. I take care of the young ones from time to time. It's been about ten years since the disease first sprung up here..."

The Sentinel's eyes grew distant as he thought back.

"We call the sickness Titan's Curse. The legend says those who approached the Titan were changed to plants... Despite its godlike power, we fought the foul thing. As a result, we Sentinels suffer the Titan's Curse. It affects the weak first. The young ones, who are still growing, have it the worst. No herb or prayer has any effect. It is the scourge of our people. Those who catch it turn into grass and trees within a few years. No one who has shown the signs has survived."

"This curse... it reminds me of a parasitic disease called the Green Death. A cure was found for it not that terribly long ago, but I don't have any Scarlet Sage on me at the moment," Isaac lamented.

"Reannan, this is a curse, right? Do you know of anything that could help?" Olga asked the Princess. Reannan, however, shook her head.

"This thing is well beyond me. I don't know of any curses that can cause plants to grow from one's body..."

As Kibagami finished wiping the sweat from the child's body, he turned to the party.

"I did not ask earlier, but... are you headed toward the demon tree on your journey? I won't stop you, but you should know the risks. If you approach that tree, even you may suffer the curse."

Before Reannan could respond, a voice spoke from behind.

"Don't be so pessimistic. It's not like there's nothing in the world that can cure this thing. There is a way to deal with the Titan's Curse. Won't you let me show you? Between you and the power this girl has, we can save everyone. I guarantee it."

Everyone turned to the voice that spoke of a cure. It belonged to the man known as Whirlwind, wearing the same solemn expression that he usually showed. To the group's surprise, beside him stood the Medium, Xiuan. Before any pleasantries could be given, however, Kibagami stood and furrowed his brow at the sudden intruders.

"Kibagami, this is Whirlwind. He is another explorer from Tharsis," Reannan hastily introduced the two, hoping to quell the tense atmosphere.

"Thanks for the introduction but I'll take it from here," Whirlwind smirked before turning his attention back to the large Sentinel, "We need two things. One is the Titan's heart, that your ancestors supposedly brought back here. The other is this girl. She's the Medium of the Vessels. Apparently she can hear Yggdrasil's voice. The curse is caused by the Titan's blood, or something. If this girl works on its heart, it can be cured. I'm pretty sure it'll work, too..."

Despite the explanation, Kibagami continued to stare sternly at the man. Even Reannan rose an eyebrow over some of what he said.

"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that. It sounds unlikely, I know..."

After a few exaggerated motions, Whirlwind lightly pushed Xiuan from behind, urging her forward. The girl began to approach the child, only for Kibagami to block her path.

"Stop! Are you trying to expose yourself to the sickness?"

"Kibagami, it's alright. This girl... if anyone can do anything, it's her," Reannan explained. However, the Sentinel did not budge and continued to look at the girl.

"This girl has special powers...? Is that what you're saying?"

He stared into her eyes. Xiuan met his gaze with one of her own, one that would not back down. After a brief moment, Kibagami sighed before reluctantly stepping aside. With a light bow, Xiuan seated herself beside the Sentinel child, his breathing still labored. The Medium closed her eyes and began to hum a familiar tune. Just like before, small firefly-like lights appeared around her as if dancing to her song. All at once, they focused around the sickly child and began to shine brighter. In mere moments, the sweat on the child's body cooled down and his breathing normalized, allowing him to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

"...I pled to Yggdrasil, but this is the most it can do. I think what Whirlwind mentioned may be possible. If only I had something closer to Yggdrasil at hand...!" the Medium explained.

The other Sentinels that watched this marvel began to cheer loudly. Even Kibagami could not hide his surprise. However, despite witnessing a miracle before his eyes, his stern expression quickly returned.

"...It is forbidden to us Sentinels to touch the Titan's Heart. I cannot make this decision lightly."

He then turned to Whirlwind and asked a question that had been plaguing his mind.

"Traveler... How did you know about the Titan's Heart enshrined below?"

For an instant, a crack showed in Whirlwind's usual expression. He then spoke slowly and deliberately as he replied.

"Yeah, about the heart and disease... Kurohana knows, but remember how I got hurt at the Scarlet Pillars? Afterwards, I wandered around the maze some on my own. That's when I found this one book... It told all about how the Vessels fought against the Titan of old. It also went into some detail about the cure for the disease. So that's how I found out about that."

He then quickly shifted the discussion back to Kibagami.

"So what are you going to do? You're the leader. We're all looking to you here."

Kibagami crossed his arms and closed his eyes. As the leader of the Sentinels, this was a very important decision. Everyone remained quiet as he deliberated over the best course of action. As he did so, other Sentinel warriors had filed into the room, eagerly awaiting his next words. After what seemed like an eternity, Kibagami opened his eyes.

"We will retrieve the Titan's Heart!"

The other Sentinels could no longer hide their joy as they all shouted in unison. Kibagami then turned to the Medium.

"Miss... Medium? I will need your help in the matter of the Titan's Curse."

He bowed before the girl as a sign of respect before he addressed his people.

"The Titan's Heart is enshrined in a large cavity on B3F, protected by the Boiling Lizard. No one has bested the Boiling Lizard in over a decade. Even finding it will be a challenge. But our fangs are sharp and our will is strong! My Bushi! It is time to show the fruits of our training!"

The other warriors roared with excitement as they all spread out, gathering supplies for the journey ahead. The large Sentinel clasped his hand hard onto Whirlwind's shoulder.

"You have given us a ray of hope, for which I thank you, humans! Stay with the Medium and await our good news! Nothing will stop us from taking the Titan's Heart. The Boiling Lizard... it will be a worthy adversary!"

With a laugh, Kibagami left as well.

"We came this far just to warm the bench...? Did it never occur to him that we could help with the search?" Whirlwind complained as he massaged his aching shoulder. Just as he too was about to leave, Reannan called out to him.

"Whirlwind, why did you lie to him?"

"Hm? What part of what I said was a lie?"

"We heard the tale of the Titan from the Vessel's themselves. They believed that they were the only ones who fought back against it. Not only that, they never mentioned anything about the Crown, Soul, or Heart. Where exactly did you learn about that?"

"Come on now, I already told you all that I found this book in the forest that explained all of this. I don't know where it came from, it was pretty old so maybe it was written by a Vessel or a human during the war."

"That sounds rather convenient. Especially since it just so happens to mention how to cure this curse. I wonder what Wufan would have said if we had brought her along? I won't lie, what you did for these people is admirable. You have restored their hope and, if you are indeed correct, you will have saved many lives as well. It is your methods that I find fault in. I just want to know why you are being so secretive about all of this."

"...That's quite a scary look you got there, your Highness. Do you show your subjects that face?"

Reannan continued to glare at the mysterious man, her crimson eyes judging his every action. Whirlwind only continued to give his usual unreadable expression and showed no signs of budging. After a tense moment between the two, Whirlwind sighed loudly.

"I understand where you're coming from, but just trust me on this one. I'll admit... I need to help them to get what I want. I won't pretend I don't have ulterior motives here. But it will work, I can guarantee that."

"I'll put it aside, for the time being. But after this is all done, I expect to hear a proper explanation from you."

"If you so wish it. That is if we both survive this."

With a wave, Whirlwind turned away and followed after the Sentinels. The Princess continued to watch his back until he disappeared from sight. At that moment, she felt a light tug on her cloak as Xiuan looked up at her.

"Reannan, Whirlwind is a good man. He speaks the truth, I can feel it in my heart. Please, trust in him."

"...I just don't trust those eyes of his, is all. It isn't the first time that I have seen that look. He knows a lot more than he's letting on. I am certain that he has his reasons, but it isn't wrong to err on the side of caution."

As the party continued to discuss among one another, Whirlwind continued through the village. When he came to what appeared to be stone monuments, he suddenly stopped, his mouth slightly agape. He soon realized that these monuments were in fact gravestones. And among them was something he recognized. His normal expression broke for a moment, filling him with a sense of melancholy as he placed his hand over his face.

"I had hoped that we would meet again... but not like this..."

The man shook a bit, fighting back the tears that struggled to seep from his eyes. He then pulled out a small necklace and clutched it tightly. His expression slowly returned, now filled with a new resolve. He would see his mission to completion. He could not afford to stop now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention it before, but the reason why I call the Winged Ones/Winged Folk the Siveta is because that is what Canaan refers to them as at least twice in the original Etrian Odyssey 2. The first time is when you first meet him on 20F and the second time when he talks about Harpuia murdering his people. His exact lines referring to them is "we of Sevita" and "Many of Siveta fell victim to the foul bird." Because of that, I've just taken to calling them that even though I believe the art books just call them the Winged Folk. It's possible that Siveta is just referring to what they call where they live, but these are the only two times it's mentioned in-game, so who knows.
> 
> Below are two timestamps from my EO2 run just to be thorough.  
> https://youtu.be/Yv58iUWgvhQ?t=2672  
> https://youtu.be/Lbr3nVel6M0?t=3115


	17. Kibagami

Reannan, Olga, and Isaac walked back to where the other two members of their party were located to find Kibagami gathering various supplies. Just like the other Sentinels, he was preparing to venture deeper into the Golden Lair to retrieve the Titan's Heart.

"What's with all the celebration? Did something happen over there?" Julianna asked.

"Something like that. Kibagami, may I have a word with you? I have a question I would like to ask," Reannan called out to the Sentinel's leader. Kibagami stopped sifting through his supplies and gave the Princess his full attention.

"Go right ahead, but keep in mind that my Bushi are waiting on me."

"We came here looking for a particular tablet that will open the barrier that leads to the north, to Yggdrasil. It should be on a shrine somewhere in this labyrinth. It would look similar to this."

Reannan pulled out a scrap of paper with a diagram of the previous tablets and handed it to the Sentinel. Kibagami studied the page for a moment before speaking.

"I cannot say that I have. If it is indeed in this labyrinth as you say, then it would be located somewhere on B3F. I will have my Bushi keep an eye out for it while we search for the Boiling Lizard."

"That is all well and good, but we plan on joining you down below."

"We're... what?!" Julianna was appalled by such a suggestion, "Hey! We just got a get-out-of-jail-free card! We can just sit up here and relax for a change, but you want to go charging down there anyway?!"

"If you don't like it, then you can just stay up here. It's not like we're forcing you to go."

"Fine then! Me and Beato will just stay up here and--"

"But it's boring here, Mama! I wanna see the big lizard!" Beatrice demanded. Julianna looked away from her daughter, giving in to her demands.

"...Ugh. Th-then I guess I'll go too..."

"Yay! I love you Mama~!"

"So there you have it. The Kurohana Guild is at your service, Kibagami."

Despite the guild being all for exploring the lower strata, Kibagami seemed rather troubled by the prospect.

"I appreciate your offer, but I cannot bring you along. The monsters below here are extremely dangerous. Even my Bushi must be cautious around those beasts. So I cannot leave this task to you."

"I understand your concern but rest assured, we are seasoned veterans. This is not the first time we have dealt with a dangerous situation and it will most certainly not be the last."

"You are willing to risk your lives alongside complete strangers? You are explorers... Do you court death so?"

"More than you can imagine."

Kibagami's eyes met with Reannan's resolute gaze. Within those crimson eyes, he saw that there was some sort of twisted truth behind her words.

"Very well. But before I allow you to come, I will need you to fight me! You must prove to me you are strong enough! I will fight with all my strength--I expect no less from you!"

"Wait... fight him? Why do we--"

"If that is your condition, then so be it!"

"EH?!"

"Very well! I, Kibagami, leader of the Bushi whose fangs are katana and club, accept your challenge!"

The large Sentinal drew his sword and held his arm stretched out to his side. He then quickly twisted his wrist at a 90-degree angle, signaling his first attack.

"Already?! Can't you just wait for a moment?!"

"Don't worry, Mama! I'm ready to go!" Beatrice called out as she ran past her mother, ready to meet Kibagami's strike.

"Daaaaaamn iiiiiiiit!!" Julianna screamed as she scooped up her twin blades and chased after her daughter.

"As veterans, you should know that a battle can crop up at any time and place, regardless of whether you are ready for it or not. To expect the unexpected is paramount to surviving in these lands. Now then, let's see how you handle my Moon Slice!"

Kibagami swung his katana in a sweeping horizontal arc. The attack was met with Beatrice's shield and Julianna's blades. When the sword had finished its arc, a large gash was cut from the shield and the blades were cracked. It was clear to these two that Kibagami's muscles were not for show.

"Very good! It would have been disappointing had you fallen to the first strike."

Kibagami positioned his katana directly in front of him with the blade pointing skyward. He slid two of his fingers along the blade, creating an icy chill along it.

"As for my next attack, I will be using my Ice--"

Before he could finish his sentence, Julianna picked up some sand from the ground and threw it directly into his eyes. The Bushi reeled back from his sudden blindness and swung his icy sword, only to miss his target completely.

"Kyahahaha! What's wrooooong~? Weren't you spouting something about expecting the unexpected~? Whatever happened to that~?"

While Kibagami remained defenseless, Olga let loose a stream of arrows on him, hoping to strike his powerful arms. However, despite being blind, Kibagami was able to shift his body just ever slightly enough to have the arrows avoid any vital areas. At this same time, Reannan had finished her preparations and created the runes necessary for her attack.

"Fireball!"

The runes coalesced into a white-hot ball of flames and launched themselves upon the Sentinel, igniting him. Despite the pain, he remained calm, sheathed his katana, and reached for the massive club strapped across his back. In a swift motion, he spun the club around his body, catching all the flames in the process. With one final act, he slammed the fiery club to the ground. Although this attack missed as well, it showed off the versatility of this man.

Kibagami cracked a smile before lifting one of his legs and slamming it to the ground. He looked directly at the party, the sand finally out of his eyes, and let out a blood-curdling roar. His black fur lit up and turned bright red and his armor ignited, looking as though the man was wreathed in flames. He reached for his sheathed blade.

" **FLAME WALL!!** "

In response, Reannan unleashed a sea of flames upon the man. Kibagami withstood the heat from the flames and gripped the katana's tsuka. In an instant, he drew the blade at lightning-fast speed. Not only did he cut through the flames, but the shockwave from the strike cut through Beatrice, Reannan, and Olga all in one shot. Isaac clutched his now bleeding shoulder. If he had been just slightly closer to Olga, he too would have fallen.

"Beato! Hurry, drink this!" Julianna shouted as she put a Nectar II to her daughter's mouth. Isaac cursed his terrible luck and turned his attention to healing up the other two. Kibagami slowly approached Julianna and lifted his katana to the air, hoping to disable her with one final strike. However, much to his surprise, Beatrice shoved her mother out of the way and took the blow for her.

"Hunyaan♥! That sword cuts really good, mister~!"

Julianna immediately followed up with continuous strikes of her own, pushing Kibagami back. As he stepped backward, Julianna suddenly ducked, making way for one of Reannan's Ice Lance spells. The Sentinel grabbed the icy shard, stopping it just before it struck his body. Unfortunately for him, the Princess was not quite done yet. She pulled in front of her several runes that she had written in advance, ready to be launched when the moment was right.

" **LIGHTNIIIIING!!** "

The bolts of lighting attached onto the icy spear and shot through it, electrifying Kibagami in the process. He could hardly withstand such an attack. His body began to creak due to keeping the Blood Surge active for far too long and his legs buckled. At long last, the leader of the Bushi had fallen to one knee. Julianna and Beatrice saw this as an opportunity to deal the finishing blow.

"...It has been a while since I've been pushed this far."

Before anyone could even see it, the man had already swung his sword in the same arc as the Moon Slice he had used at the beginning of the fight. The attack was so powerful that the mother-daughter team was literally blown away and crashed into a wall behind the other three party members. As they looked at their comrades in shock, Kibagami took a deep breath, and his fur returned to its original color.

"Didn't I tell you before? Expecting the unexpected is paramount to surviving in these lands."

He then placed his hands over his battle wounds and began to heal them.

"As you can see, I once again stand before you. Proud and tall. I will grant you the opportunity to recuperate yourselves. If fear has yet to take you, then take up your fangs and come at me once more!"

The party ran to where Julianna and Beatrice had crashed. While the mother was groaning her daughter giggled cheerfully.

"Aaaah... that suuuuucked..."

"Again~! Again~!"

"Just sit still, I'll patch you two up," Isaac sighed as he opened his pack.

"Khhhhh! So, any bright ideas, Princess? You're the leader, aren't you? I'm sure you got something in mind."

Reannan pondered for a moment before speaking the first thing that came to mind.

"...That state he was in."

"The one with flames coming off of his body. Well yeah, of course, we need to take him down before he does it again. That much is obvious!"

"No, the exact opposite. We need to force him back into it again."

"Huh?! What kind of stupid plan is that?!"

"I noticed it while we were fighting. While his body is like that, he has tremendous power. But that power comes at a cost. Slowly, but surely, his body was weakening the longer he held onto it. We cannot match him blow for blow while he is in that state. But we don't have to. All we have to do is outlast it and take him down while he is weakened."

"And how are you so sure that that'll work? How do you know that he won't just get back up again?"

"I don't. But even so, we have to try. It is our only chance at victory. It's just a matter of how we'll force him into it again."

"Ooh! I'll do it!" Beatrice cheerfully raised her hand. Without waiting for the other's response, the girl ran toward the Sentinel, eager to start round 2.

"Beato! Wait! Ugh... this plan of yours better work!"

Julianna chased after her daughter. As she did so, Reannan wasted no time drawing new runes into the air. Beatrice spun her hammer around as she closed in on Kibagami.

"Hey, mister! Those last attacks of yours hurt real good~! I wanna see more of that red form!"

Kibagami said nothing in response. His body was still reeling from the effects of the last Blood Surge. If he was careless about using it again, it could have serious detrimental effects. However, he wasn't given much time to mull over it as Reannan shot her hand forward, activating the runes that spun around her.

" **GLACIER!** "

At her call, large frozen stalagmites jutted out of the ground. Kibagami dodged and weaved his body between the frozen attack while carefully avoiding Julianna and Beatrice's advance. Once Reannan's spell was finished, he reached for his katana but noticed what had just occurred. Reannan was never aiming for him. Icy pillars now littered the battleground, creating narrow paths. Paths too narrow to swing his sword.

"...So be it."

Kibagami once again lifted a leg and slammed it to the ground. With another blood-curdling roar, his form changed. The sheer force of the roar itself shattered the pillars around him as he reached for his blade.

"More~! More~!" Beatrice shouted as she closed in on the Bushi. Kibagami stopped his hand short and opted to grab his mace instead. He then sidestepped the girl's attack and hit her on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

"Sleep for a while. Though you may be an explorer, I have no wish to bring further harm to a child."

"Then how about me, her mother?"

Julianna continued the assault on her own while Reannan and Olga backed her up with arrows and frozen stalagmites. At this point, Kibagami was finding it hard to make a counterattack. His size was definitely working against him in this situation. He stopped for just a moment, allowing Julianna's swords to cut into him. Fighting through the pain, he dragged his sword across one of the ice pillars, bathing it in an icy haze. Julianna backed off, but it was too late. Kibagami used his Ice Slash and struck the succubus.

"Mama!"

Beatrice, who had just been woken up by Isaac, ran to her mother and began to support her.

"It appears that I will get nowhere just cutting you all down one by one. In that case..."

Kibagami sheathed his blade and stomped the ground, powering himself up for his final strike. However, instead of increasing his strength, he fell down to his knees once again. He quickly realized that he had overestimated himself and that the Blood Surge had taken a far greater toll on his body than he had expected. He looked up to see the five guild members, all directly in front of him with their weapons drawn.

"We won, Kibagami," Reannan stated. In response, the Bushi laughed lightly and slowly rose again.

"I am impressed that you braved my fangs! Forgive me for disrespecting your strength. I would be honored if you lent us your might in delving into the maze and retrieving the heart," he declared to the group. All at once, the other members fell to the ground, clearly exhausted from the battle.

"But I have seen when crossing swords with you that your power is too pure. It has been honed for one purpose. Iron alone can make a magnificent katana, but it will be frail and snap against unexpected force. But a katana of alloyed metals does not easily break. I grant you the means to find that in yourselves."

Kibagami pulled out a scroll from his clothing and handed it to Reannan. The Princess looked it over briefly.

"...Oh! This is similar to the technique the Deep City employed."

"Give this to your master. It holds the secret to containing conflicting natures within oneself. Use it to hone your strength even further, and then return to us that you might walk at our side!"

With that, Kibagami began to limp away so that he may heal his wounds. As he stumbled, Isaac walked up to him and offered a hand.

"There's no need to push yourself. I am a doctor and I will patch you up with whatever I have available. That is if the guild is willing to foot the bill."

He looked back at the guild, as though waiting for an answer.

"Why do we have to pay for it? Aren't those your supplies?" Julianna complained.

"I keep telling you all that this stuff does not come cheap. Besides, don't think I didn't notice you using not only a Nectar II but an Amrita II in this battle. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to obtain those items?! Not to mention the price!"

"Do what you can, Isaac," Reannan spoke. Isaac nodded and began to get to work on Kibagami's wounds.

"I thank you, Doctor."

"Please, just call me Isaac. I am just a miser who knows a little about medicine."

"While we have you here, like you said, you did not hold back against us. What would have happened if any of us had died?" Reannan asked.

"At no point in our battle had I any intention of slaying you. It takes a well-disciplined hand to render one's foes helpless without the need to kill. Even fear can be used as a tool to paralyze both man and beast. Our warriors, the Bushi, take care to avoid needless bloodshed."

"Is that so? It is good to hear that we can work together without any worry."

"...However, as with anything, there are always exceptions."

Kibagami said this with a heavy expression on his face. He had contemplated for a while now whether or not to speak about this, but if the Sentinels were to work side by side with humanity once again, it needed to be said.

"There is one in particular that you should all be aware of. He is a vicious man who slaughters indiscriminately. He has forgone our noble traditions and lives outside of our caves, not as an exile, but to train his own body against the elements. We have come to call him Scarlet Yaksha."

~=====~

Outside in the frozen tundra, a wolf with blood-red hair stormed across the plains on all fours. Wearing a sickening smile, he howled into the sky. [CV: Rikiya Koyama]

"I can smell it! A scent I have not caught in ten years! Humans! Fresh prey! I did not have the opportunity to fight you when you last arrived! I hope for your sakes that you are as powerful as the legends make you out to be, otherwise, I'll be painting this white would with your inner reds! Hehehe.... ** _HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_** "

~=====~

"Scarlet Yaksha?" Reannan repeated.

"Yes, he is so named for his deep red hair and his perchance to soak his body in the blood of friend and foe alike. He lives for the fight and thinks of nothing else but to destroy his opponents utterly. So long as you travel through this cave or through your flying machine, it is very unlikely that you'll ever meet. But, should you catch a glimpse of him, should your eyes ever meet, my only advice is this..."

~=====~

The party continued on their journey through the Sacred Mountains. A loud noise began to echo through the mountains.

"What on earth is that racket?" Xiao sighed as he covered his ears in annoyance.

"Mm? Onii-chan, I think there's something up there," Reika pointed to a nearby mountain.

"Oh? What is it? Is it some--"

Aedric's words were halted as a sudden explosion of snow and ice erupted in front of the group. A large Sentinel, who just landed from the mountain, slowly rose with a nasty grin as his hand stroke the hilt of his blade.

"Yoooooooo~!"

~=====~

" __  
 **...RUN!**  
"

~=====~

Without warning, Yaksha drew his katana and swung it down at the group in front of him. Another cloud of snow erupted, this time away from the group. Yaksha watched as his blade had somehow missed its target and struck the ground instead. And directly in front of him, Aedric glared at him with his magnetic gauntlet pushing the sword away.

"Hoh?"

Yaksha pulled his blade back again and stabbed it forward, aiming for the glaring swordsman.

To be continued next chapter...


	18. Scarlet Yaksha

"Yoooooooo~!"

Without warning, Yaksha drew his katana and swung it down at the group in front of him. Another cloud of snow erupted, this time away from the group. Yaksha watched as his blade had somehow missed its target and struck the ground instead. And directly in front of him, Aedric glared at him with his magnetic gauntlet pushing the sword away.

"Hoh?"

Yaksha pulled his blade back again and stabbed it forward, aiming for the glaring swordsman. Aedric shot his hand forward, the gauntlet just barely holding the thrust back. With a strong push, Yaksha pushed the heavily bundled up knight back, his feet creating two lines in the snow. Wanting to see how far this would go, Yaksha began to run, his katana still pushing Aedric back. After traveling well over 100 meters, Aedric shifted his fingers slightly, causing the gauntlet to exude more power. The sudden magnetic push threw Yaksha's sword arm into the air and forced him to loosen his grip. The blade flew from his hands, spinning rapidly behind the pair until it struck the ground.

"Heh, you're quite strong for how pudgy you are," Yaksha grinned.

"Eh? I'm not pudgy! It's really cold so I'm wearing multiple layers!"

"Aedric!" Xiao called out. He was followed by Reika and Manami, all ready for battle.

"So it's four against one, eh? I like it! It wouldn't be fun if I had to fight each of you one by one," Yaksha smirked as he began to head back to his sword, walking at a leisurely pace.

"Hold on a second!" Aedric called out, causing the Sentinel to stop.

"Huh? Are you chickening out already? I haven't had my fill yet, so you don't get a choice in all this."

"Far from it. I'm all for it, actually. You're the type of guy who likes to fight strong opponents, right? Well, so am I! Nothing is better than taking down an adversary stronger than yourself, am I right?"

"Hoh? Are you implying that you're stronger than me?"

"Now I know that I look like this, but rest assured..."

Aedric then began to remove the garments that covered his body, revealing his muscled physique to the Sentinel.

"Check it out! I'm all muscle, baby! Hahahachoo!"

"...Idiot. You're going to freeze to death without those coats," Xiao commented with a tinge of annoyance.

"What? I d-don't need those! T-t-the only thing I-I n-need to keep w-warm is my own burning blood!"

"I can clearly see that you're shaking..."

"I'm s-s-shaking from excitement at the i-idea of fighting a strong guy!"

"...Whatever. I guess it's up to me to save your sorry ass."

"Hold on! You guys stay out of this."

"Huh?! Do you have any idea what you're saying, you idiot?!"

"Yeah! What he said! One guy ain't going to cut it for me!" Yaksha complained.

"That isn't what I meant! You stay out of this conversation!"

"Ahem, allow me to explain," Aedric cleared his throat, "First off, take a good look at those three. Two of them are children, they won't be a challenge in the least bit. And that guy? He's a literal stick! What's he going to do to you?"

"...I know what you're getting at but it still pisses me off."

"Now look at me. Big, muscular, and handsome to boot. I am a knight, a hero, and I know my way around a sword. Those three over there? They'd be nothing but flies buzzing about your person, hardly worth any notice. On the other hand, I am the main course. I'm the type of guy who will truly give you a run for your money. After all, I stopped your sword twice with just my bare hands!"

"Hmm, you make a good point..." Yaksha pondered.

"Now, as much as I'd like to get in a big sword fight with you, there's just one tiny problem with that."

Aedric then pulled out his damaged Drive Blade that he carried around.

"As you can see, this sword is all worn and beaten up. If we went all out against each other, it would just snap in two right from the start. Now, where's the fun in that? If we're going to fight, our battle has to last as long as possible!"

"...Ah! I see what he's doing!" Xiao gasped while keeping his voice low.

"Mm? Is Onii-chan doing something?" Reika asked in a whisper.

"He's trying to convince this guy that we are not worth fighting right now so that we can escape. He's just making it look like he wants to fight him while showing off that he can't at the moment. There is a good chance that we will eventually have to face him, but by then, we should have a plan and be more than ready. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Aedric is a lot smarter than he looks. I'm actually impressed."

"Therefore, in that case..."

Aedric tossed his sword off to the side and raised his fists.

"We'll fight each other like this! No weapons, just our fists! Hand to hand combat, the basic of basics! After all, it is not the weapon that makes the man, but the man who makes the weapon!"

"Y-you... YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!!" Xiao suddenly screamed, "What the hell are you even doing?!"

"Huh? I'm fighting him, why are you so mad?"

"You... there's no way that guy is going to go along with--"

"I like it!"

"You... what?"

"I like it a lot! Muscle against muscle! The clashing of bone and sinew! I accept your terms, hero!" Yaksha laughed.

"For the love of... You two! Say something to him!"

"Kick his ass, Onii-chan! Mm!"

"I-I wonder what color his blood is. Wouldn't it be great if it was green? Think about it, the splattered blood mixed with the snow, an intertwined spiral on a white canvas...hehe."

Xiao just stood there for a moment with a look of defeat on his face.

"Right... I forgot just who I was traveling with..."

Loud noises resounded from Yaksha's body as he cracked both his knuckles and his neck. Aedric followed suit as he approached the Sentinel.

"My name is Aedric Navarre. And you are?"

"Yaksha. The other Sentinels call me 'Scarlet'."

"Scarlet Yaksha, eh? Good name!"

Aedric threw the first punch and Yaksha parried it with his own fist. For these two, this worked as a way to not only declare the start of their battle but also measure the other's strength. The two simultaneously pulled their fists away. Yaksha was the next to move with a wide swing. Aedric ducked under the blow and aimed for Yaksha's gut with a straight right. However, he was met with a knee. Aedric stopped his punch short and pushed his left hand onto Yaksha's knee, lifting himself and hopping backward. Before he could get his bearings, Yaksha rushed after him with another kick, aiming for Aedric's face. The knight pulled his head back, the kick just grazing past his face.

The two separated again and took a quick breath before starting their second bout. The other three could do nothing but watch as the two combatants continued to trade jabs and kicks, none of which were landing on the other. After another flurry of strikes, Yaksha shot out a heavy overhand punch. Aedric twisted his body just enough to avoid the blow and shot out his own straight directly for Yaksha's head. Just as it seemed as though this would land, Yaksha opened his mouth and chomped down on Aedric's fist. This sudden shift was enough to not only throw Aedric off but to lock him in place. Before he could move, Yaksha punched Aedric hard in the gut, causing the wind to get knocked out of him. As Yaksha opened his mouth, Aedric fell to the ground in a prone sitting position.

"What's wrong?! Don't tell me that was everything you--"

Aedric quickly placed his hands onto the ground and lifted himself slightly above the ground. Immediately after he did so, he delivered a powerful kick right into Yaksha's groin.

"G-gah!"

Aedric scooted backward and returned to his feet as Yaksha fell to his knees in pain.

"Sorry about the low blow, but if this is a fight for survival, then I'm not going to pull my punches. Or my kicks for that matter."

"Hehehe... HAHAHAHAHA!! That's good! That's VERY good! There's nothing worse than having a soft opponent. Morality has no place in a brawl. Who gives a shit about honor? Win or lose. Live or die. That's what it all boils down to in the end."

Once Yaksha was back to his feet, he suddenly threw his arms out.

"Now check this out! You're gonna love it!"

The Sentinel let out of blood-curdling roar. His fur lit up and turned bright red. His body exuded such heat that the snow around his feet began to melt. He shot forward, his arm already primed to grab Aedric. The knight sidestepped the attack and grabbed the Sentinel's arm, only to immediately let go due to the burning heat.

"Ow! That's really hot!"

Yaksha then struck Aedric with a backhand, sending him flying back. The power given to Yaksha from his Blood Surge easily tripled his strength. After free-flying for several meters, Aedric's feet finally found the ground and he slowly skidded to a halt. However, he wasn't out of the fray quite yet. Yaksha quickly closed the distance by leaping directly after him. Aedric dove forward, dodging under the Sentinel. The very moment Yaksha had landed, Aedric grabbed his waist and lifted him into the air. He then fell backward while bringing his back and legs, giving Yaksha the strongest suplex that he could manage. Once the move was complete, Aedric quickly let go and returned to his feet.

"Thanks to that, I'm more fired up than ever," he laughed.

"Haha, I'll have to remember that move. You're just like the legends say, humans are powerful!"

Yaksha flipped onto his feet and began to rain blows upon Aedric. Aedric carefully dodged each strike that came his way. He had watched Yaksha long enough that he had begun to memorize his movements. He had finally reached the point where he could tell what kind of strike he would use based on subtle muscle movements and his breathing. As Aedric dodged another strike, he shot out a punch of his own to Yaksha's chest. However, the attack seemed to have no effect. Well, it wasn't as though it didn't have an effect, it just that Yaksha's Blood Surge was nullifying any pain that he was currently experiencing. The only way to stop this Sentinel right now was to either get him to end the Blood Surge or knock him out.

Aedric grabbed Yaksha's arms and he did the same. The two of them were now locked in a grapple. As Yaksha attempted to lift Aedric off the ground, the knight pulled his head back and slammed it into the Sentinel's forehead. Yaksha reeled back from the hit.

"Keh! Two can play at that!"

Yaksha pulled his head back and slammed it into Aedric's.

"Geh! Let's try that again!"

The two combatants began to each take turns headbutting the other. Again. And again. And again. After several shots, they finally let each other go. Yaksha grabbed his head and shook it lightly.

"Heh, it's going to take more than that to--"

Before he could finish, his legs gave out and he crashed into the snow face first. On closer inspection, it was clear that he fell unconscious. In response, Aedric threw his arm to the sky in victory.

"I wo--"

And he too fell unconscious, falling onto his back. The others looked on and realized that they now had to deal with these two large unconscious bodies before they froze to death.

"...Idiots," Xiao sighed.

~=====~

Aedric awoke sometime later in a cave with all the coats and blankets he wore piled on top of him. He slowly sat back up to see Xiao watching over him as he tended to a campfire.

"Oh, you're still alive. That's a relief," he said in a deadpan tone.

"You... don't sound happy about it..."

"Well, I guess the Medium would be upset if you died there, so I guess it's good that you survived."

"Ah-ha! Look at you, talking about putting her feelings first. I knew you liked her!"

"...Tch! You're so annoying."

"So, where are the others? And what happened to Yaksha?"

"They're off hunting for dinner, the same goes for--"

"Oh! You're still alive! That's great!" Yaksha shouted as he dragged in a large sack filled with rabbits and turkeys, "I got us some good meat for dinner!"

"Meat? I can't eat that! I told you to keep an eye out for fruits and vegetables!"

"The little ones took care of that. I don't get it, you'll never build any muscle from eating apples all the time. I just don't understand your type."

"I can't eat meat because my body constitution doesn't support it! I can't believe I have to explain this every single time!"

"Who cares about that? Just break past your limits! You'll never get any stronger with that attitude!"

"Ugh! It's like talking to a wall..."

"...I feel like I'm missing something here. What happened while I was out?" Aedric asked the pair.

"After you knocked each other out, the rest of us had to drag you two to the closest cave we could find. This guy woke up not long after that."

"Yeah, I wasn't about to let you die that easily. Not after a fight like that! I need you to recover and get that sword fixed up so we can fight for real next time!"

"I see. Thanks for not killing me in my sleep, I guess."

"I don't do any of that cowardly crap. I fight my opponents head-on and let them know that I'm there. No sneak attacks!"

"Wait, didn't you ambush us?"

"Of course I didn't! I was announcing my presence the entire time! Was I not loud enough?"

"So that's what that howling was about..." Xiao glowered.

"Well, whatever. The fact that you stood your ground is commendable. Most things run away when I announce my presence. Just like that dragon that flies around."

"Dragon? Like a big red one?"

"Hm? Is there more than one? The one around here is blue and has three heads. Every time it shows up, I challenge it to fight me and it runs away in fear every time!"

"The one in my homeland is a long, lightning-enhanced beast. If yours is anything like it, it probably doesn't even notice that you're howling at it."

"What?! You mean it's ignoring me?! Oh, that does it! The next time I see it, I'm gonna kill it twice as hard!"

Aedric looked over to his Drive Blade, which was now leaning up against the cave wall.

"Hey, Yaksha. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who could repair that thing, would you?"

"If you just need basic repairs, then I can do that much."

"You know how to fix up weapons?"

"Sure do! My own sword breaks all the time, so I taught myself how to do it and which metals work best. Now my sword is nearly indestructible! Swords are like bones, you know. The more they break, the stronger they get!"

Yaksha laughed as he showed off his katana. Well, if you could call it that anyway. The blade itself looked like a large slab of iron at this point.

"I'm pretty sure that is not how that works, but I'm getting tired of arguing back at this point," Xiao leaned back, his eyes looking at the ceiling and hoping to be done with this conversation.

"We have a few swords like that in the village graveyard, so I know roughly how they're supposed to look. But if you need the inner mechanisms fixed up, I can't help you there."

"Any help would be appreciated, thanks."

At this point, Yaksha opened his sack and pulled out a rabbit and two turkeys. He tossed the birds to the other two.

"Start by defeathering those two, I'll get to skinning this one."

As the two got to work with plucking the feathers, Yaksha spoke up again.

"So, where are you all heading anyway?"

"We're heading up north, to where Yggdrasil is located."

"Yggdrasil? You mean the demon tree?"

"Demon tree?! How dare you call the sacred tree demonic!" Xiao stood up as he shouted this.

"'course it's demonic, that damn Titan is sleeping inside of it."

"The... what?"

"That thing has cursed my people. It causes them to start turning into plants after a couple of years. Of course, my body is strong enough to handle any curse, but the young ones ain't so lucky. If you're so intent on going to that tree, then I'm coming along! This place is a little too dull for my tastes and I've always wanted to take a whack at that Titan!"

"Sure! We'd love to have you around!"

"Are you serious? You really want to bring him along?"

"Well, why not? He's already proven himself to be a powerful ally."

"Hell yeah! And after this is all over, we can have our rematch!"

Yaksha presented his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Scarlet Yaksha, at your service. Oh, well, I guess after that fight, I can't call myself 'Scarlet' anymore."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Check this out!"

Yasha lifted his bangs to reveal a large red cut from where Aedric had headbutted him.

"That one is going to leave a big mark. As you can see, I'm not a 'Scarlet' anymore."

Aedric glanced at Xiao for an explanation, but he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I... still don't quite get it."

"Man you're dumb. You don't know what a 'Scarlet' is? It's someone who lacks battle scars of their own! The others just kept on calling me that over and over. I could never tell if they were praising me for having a markless body or if they were mocking me for not having any battle trophies."

"Oh, I thought it had to do with your hair color."

"My hair is red. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Isn't scarlet just a shade of red?"

"...Is it?"

"...I think so."

The two sat there in silence, wondering what the true meaning of scarlet was. Xiao just stared at the pair with a look of annoyance, refusing to comment any further.

And thus the Bushi, Yaksha, joined the party.


	19. Rocks Fall, Everyone is Injured

The party traveled through B3F in search of the Titan's Heart. Alongside them was the leader of the Bushi himself, Kibagami. Seeing as how none of the other Bushi had managed to travel this far, he opted for joining the Kurohana Guild instead. As they traversed past the Plated Chasers and other beasts that called this area home, they came across a dead end.

"Hm? What's that shiny thing up there? Is it treasure?!" Julianna called out. The others stopped in their tracks and looked to where Julianna had pointed to. Sure enough, there was indeed something shining on the surface of a rather large rock above the group.

"There's definitely something up there, but I can't tell what it is from down here," Olga squinted her eyes and shifted her head about, trying to see if she could get a better angle.

"I can see a ledge up there. If someone were to climb up, we could find out what it is," Reannan pointed out, "Any volunteers?"

"Well, I'm not going up there and neither is Beato. And I imagine the big guy wouldn't be able to fit on such a tiny ledge."

"I'm not exactly great at climbing so I can't do it," Olga apologized.

"Fine, then I'll do it."

Letting out a short breath, Reannan lightly waved her hand over her legs.

"Strengthen."

Through the power of the spell, the Princess's legs were powered up. She then kicked off a nearby wall and grabbed hold of the closest ledge to the object and pulled herself up. Despite her appearance, she showed an unusual amount of agility, especially for a mage.

"...Show off."

Reannan ignored Julianna's comment and took a closer look at their prize.

"It looks like a sword stuck is stuck in here. I might be able to pry it out."

"Do it! Do it!"

"A sword, hm? It's possible that--"

Before Kibagami could finish his thoughts, Reannan grasped hold of the blade and began to pull on it. She focused more strengthening magic through her arms as she steadily began to slide the sword out of the rock. With one final yank, the sword was suddenly free, almost causing the poor Princess to lose her footing. Once she made sure everything was alright, she hopped down from the ledge and joined the others.

"That was far easier than I--OW!"

A large rocked suddenly fell onto Reannan's head. The group looked up at where the sword once was only to see that the rock it was embedded in was now falling apart. More and more rocks began to rain down upon them with another one striking the Princess in the shoulder.

"Move!" Kibagami shouted, only for a large chunk to strike him as well.

"KYAHAHAHA!! Can't you losers dodge a simple ro--AAAAAH!!" Julianna screamed as more rocks began to rain on her as well. There seemed to be no escape from the onslaught, so the group opted to cover their heads instead and wait it out. After a few moments, the rain finally stopped. The party looked each other over to see that each of them were injured and bleeding.

"Well, that wasn't one of my finest moments..." Reannan muttered.

"Honestly, pulling that sword out seemed more like an Aedric move than one of yours," Olga commented. Reannan didn't respond, only looking away sheepishly.

"...If anything, we did get this... rusty chipped sword... great."

Kibagami looked over the old katana.

"If I were to guess, it was probably placed there by one of my ancestors to prevent that rock from collapsing."

"So, that entire thing was completely pointless?! What the hell!" Julianna complained.

"There's more to it than that," Isaac sighed as he looked into his medical bag, "We're out of supplies. We will need to make a trip back to town if we wish to progress any further here."

"...I'm sorry," Reannan apologized.

"What's happened is already in the past. If you're so sorry, then you can be the one to pay for the medical bills and supplies. As royalty, I imagine that you have deep pockets."

"Just because I'm a Princess does not mean I have access to my family's treasury. My hierarchy within Valiente is not quite as lofty as you imagine."

"...It's not fair..."

The party turned to Beatrice who looked visibly upset.

"Why was I the only one who didn't get hit?! It's... It's not fair!!"

The party chose to ignore this outburst and went back to matters at hand whilst the young girl continued to stamp her feet in frustration.

"In any case, we can use the Ariadne Thread to warp back to Tharsis. Kibagami on the other hand..."

The group looked at the Sentinel. His wounds were fairly light so we didn't require any immediate medical attention. However, the problem came from the fact that since he wasn't attuned to the Geomagnetic Pole in Tharsis, the Thread would do nothing for him, something that he was keenly aware of.

"Worry not. You all go on ahead. I'll head back to the village and rest up. I am certain that my wounds will be healed by the time you return."

"Then, we will be going on ahead. Take care, Kibagami."

"To you as well, Kurohana."

Reannan lifted the Ariadne Thread to the sky. A bright light emanated from the Thread, lighting up the cave. When the light finally dissipated, Kibagami was left alone. He stood there for a moment, marveled by the Thread's power. Once he was finished feeling astonished, he began his trip back to the Sentinel's village.


	20. The Boiling Lizard

Within the scorching hot lair of the Boiling Lizard, the party scurried about while the massive beast gave chase. It had taken multiple trips to this place as well as multiple resets to learn this creature's patterns, but the group finally came up with a plan to take it down.

Reannan took a sharp turn around a corner while the beast gave hurried after her. She continued to run toward her destination, a blazing scale that served to heat up the room. This particular one was blocking the path to a large tower of the abominable things. Based on the group's previous experiences, destroying this pile was the key to cooling down the room.

The Princess ran by the set of scales before her and pulled out an ice stake. With a single thrust, she jammed the stake into the scales, the sudden change in temperature causing them to cool down so rapidly that they turned to dust. All that was left was the giant tower. However, Reannan was already running out of steam.

"Fae!"

"On it!"

Faedyn rushed in and took a swing at the lizard. With a new combatant at hand, the creature decided to turn away from Reannan and focus on its new foe. As the Princess returned to the rest of the group, who stood at a distance, Faedyn ran toward the pillar, making sure that the beast would follow. And follow her it did. The others began to prepare immediately with Reannan setting runes on the ground and Olga readying her bows. Feeling a need to modify her weapons even more so, Olga attached these bows to her arms and created a trigger on her gloves to force them to fire. At this point, they were essentially arm-mounted crossbows.

Faedyn continued forward, finally hitting the blazing heat that exuded from the pillar of scales. She braced herself and continued to run through the hellish heat, with the Boiling Lizard in tow. Once she was only a meter away, she pulled out one of the ice stakes that she was given earlier. It came as a great surprise to her that despite how hot it was, the stake showed no signs of melting. The exact moment she was within arm's reach, she shouted as loudly as she could and struck the pillar with the stake.

It only took a few scant seconds before the pillar disappeared and with it, came a bitterly cold air that rushed out from where it once stood. Although Faedyn was hit hard with this sudden temperature change, the Sol rune on her clothing helped to resist it. The same could not be said for the Boiling Lizard, however. The sudden shift affected it far more than what the group could have expected. The creature nearly collapsed on itself as its blazing scales seemed to lose all strength. Most importantly of all was that the had monster stopped dead in its tracks. There was no better time than now to finally take it down. Faedyn drew her sword while the others closed in.

The lizard turned its head to the sound of footsteps approaching it from behind. The exact moment it turned, it was met with Kibagami's club, striking it directly in the head. The beast shook off the sudden hit and opened its mouth to bathe the group in its flames, but it suddenly found itself unable to move.

"This magic stuff sure comes in handy," Isaac smiled. He had just finished drawing a circle around the beast, one that would paralyze its entire body. To Isaac, this served as a means of not only aiding the group in their battles but also cut back on medical expenses. After all, there's no need to use up their supplies if they aren't getting hit.

While the creature struggled to break free from the circle, Kibagami drew his katana and slid his finger across the blade, creating an icy chill along the sword. He struck the creature hard and as the group had expected, it did not handle freezing temperatures well. The creature stumbled a bit but regained its footing, allowing it to finally break free from the circle's effects. It hissed and roared at the group, readying itself for its own assault. However, by this time, the others were finally ready to implement their strategy.

Faedyn took a deep breath and slid her fingers across her blade in a similar manner to what Kibagami did, creating an icy aura over it. During her downtime, she focused all her efforts on training and reviewing all the techniques and moves she had learned on her journey thus far. After meticulous trial and error, she finally came up with something that would help. A technique that she referred to as 'Links'.

With her blade all charged up, Faedyn cut the beast with an icy strike of her own. Unlike Kibagami's attack, the cut on the creature's body still glowed with a bright blue aura.

"Link set! Everyone! Focus all your attacks on that specific spot!"

The group followed suit. Sword slashes, a stream of arrows, and frozen glaciers struck where Faedyn had indicated. Each time one of them hit the Boiling Lizard, Faedyn's cut would let out a burst of freezing energy. The creature began to back off in light of this assault. In an effort to stave off the cold, the lizard shook a few of its scales off its body and shot a light burst of flame upon them. These new heated scales began to heat the area around it, causing Faedyn's previous strike to finally dissipate.

"Fae, can you do that move again?" Reannan asked.

"I'll need a moment to prep it up. But we'll need to do something about that scale first. Even if I can get it to land, that will only prevent it from sticking."

"Then leave that one to me, Fae-Fae~!" Julianna called out while brandishing an ice stake.

"As for any future scales, I'll prevent it from shedding anymore," Kibagami stated while grabbing the bag that held the remaining stakes. Fire began to spill from the Boiling Lizard's maw as it reeled its head back.

"Now!" Reannan shouted. Julianna and Kibagami ran toward the monster. In response, the creature opened its mouth and let loose a sea of flames.

"Glacier!"

Large frozen pillars erupted from the ground, each one creating a path for the two fighters and blocking the flames from reaching them. Julianna closed in on the scales and destroyed them before the lizard could respond. Not that it had a chance to respond anyway. This was because Kibagami ran up one of the glaciers and leaped off of it, latching himself onto the creature itself. He quickly pulled out one of the stakes and stabbed it right into the lizard's hide. While the creature screeched and bucked, Faedyn was ready once more.

She struck the monster again, leaving another icy link on its body. While the party began to assault it again, the beast lifted its legs up high and slammed down, finally knocking Kibagami loose. The very moment it confirmed that he was off, it spun around and struck the front line with its tails. As the group was knocked back, it became clear that this was a blessing in disguise. Since those three attackers were no longer directly in front of the creature, there was no need for Reannan to hold back. She added more Uruz runes to her formula, enhancing the spell even further.

" ** _GLACIER!!_** "

Icy stalagmites erupted from the ground all around the Boiling Lizard, stabbing not only through its body but also pinning it inside a frozen prison. More and more pillars rose from the ground, tearing through its body without remorse. The creature gasped and sputtered the last of its flames out of its mouth as though breathing out its own inner essence. Without so much as a whimper, the Boiling Lizard stopped moving. The battle had been won.

The group picked themselves back up. Although they had slain the beast, their task was not yet over. They still had to find the Titan's Heart which was said to lie in this place. They began to walk further into the lair when they heard some light clapping.

"Good going, Kurohana. You really showed that thing who's boss," Whirlwind said cheerfully.

"Whirlwind? When did you get here?"

"I'd say about half-way through the fight. Sorry, I couldn't help out, but it seemed like you had it covered. Anyway, look over there. Isn't that the Titan's Heart?"

The man pointed toward a small shrine entangled in roots. The group approached it to see a fist-sized red gem encased within. Judging by how there were no signs of any other roots within this cavern, it was safe to say that this gem was indeed the Titan's Heart.

"You beat the Boiling Lizard, so it's only fair that you be the ones to give it to the Sentinels."

At Whirlwind's urging, Reannan reached out and took the gem from its pedestal.

"I can't say that I was expecting the Heart to be a gem," she commented.

"Well, it would have been gross if it had been a literal heart, you know," Julianna retorted.

"Without your strength, we could never have slain the Boiling Lizard," Kibagami bowed before the group, "I will go on ahead to tell the rest of my people the good news. Follow as quickly as you can! They will all be waiting to see you!"

And with that, Kibagami quickly left the lair.

"Rean, shouldn't there be a stone tablet around here?" Faedyn asked.

"You're right. It should be on that shrine over there. We might as well take it while we're still down here."

The group continued toward the shrine in hopes of taking the tablet and continuing their journey. However, much to their surprise, there was no sign of it.

"What's wrong?" Whirlwind asked.

"The stone tablet that opens the barrier should have been on this alter. Whirlwind, you didn't happen to see it, did you? It looks something like this."

Reannan pulled out a scrap of paper and showed it to the traveler.

"Can't say that I have. Huh... so you'd always found a stone tablet on those altars before? Guess that means we have no way of getting closer to Yggdrasil yet."

He scratched his head and let out a light sigh.

"Eh, we'll cross that bridge later. See you back at the Sentinels' village, okay?"

The man turned to leave, only to be stopped by Reannan's words.

"Whirlwind, about what we talked about before. You know, about the Titan's Heart."

"We can save that talk for later. I believe that the Sentinel children take precedence first, don't you think?"

Reannan could find no counterargument to his words so she let it drop. With that, Whirlwind went on ahead while the party left soon after.

~====~

Sometime later, the group finally returned to the Sentinel's Village. When they arrived at the ward where the cursed Sentinel children resided, they found the Medium, Xiuan, telling them stories of her town and the legends they held. The children held onto every word as their eyes shined brightly.

"--through the final strike of her blades, the creature fell, vanishing into the mist. Those travelers showed no fear and looked to me, prioritizing my own safety above all else. Oh!" Xiuan stopped her tale once she noticed that the guild had returned, "Welcome back, everyone! I was just telling the children of how we met."

"Here, this is for you," Reannan pulled out the red gem and handed it to the Medium. She stared at the gem blankly.

"What's this...? Wait, is this the Titan's Heart?! That's incredible!"

The children all let out a cry of surprise as hope began to rise. The Medium cradled the Heart in her hands and closed her eyes.

"I know this. It originates from Yggdrasil. It is part of it, just as I am..."

She then picked up the closest Sentinel child to her and placed him on her knee.

"Don't be scared. All will be well. Just leave it in my hands."

The girl began to hum her familiar tune. In addition to the fireflies that accompanied her, the gem itself began to pulsate with a warm light. This light flowed through the Medium's body and seeped out to the fingers that touched the child. The very moment that glow reached the child, the vines and resin covering his body began to fall off.

"Impossible...!" Kibagami gasped and stumbled backward, nearly falling to the floor in astonishment, "Such power... is this the miracle we had hoped for from the Titan's Heart and the Medium?"

No sooner had the child recovered, Xiuan reached for the next one and began to pray once more. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she paid them no heed. She would not rest until every last Sentinel in this village was cured.

"Amazing. But I'd expect nothing less from Yggdrasil's own Medium..." Whirlwind commented. It was clear that even though he had brought the girl here and expected that this would happen, he was still surprised at just how effective it was.

"Medium!" Kibagami called out, "Forgive me for doubting your abilities. You are truly a friend to the Sentinels."

The girl did not respond and continued to work tirelessly. Kibagami then turned to the party and bowed deeply.

"And you, the Kurohana Guild. It is through you that I understand the generosity and power of humankind. As leader of the Bushi, I promise nothing shall come between Sentinels and humans!"

And lastly, he turned to Whirlwind, the man who made this all possible.

"My thanks to you as well, traveler! You brought our salvation to us," he then addressed the entire group, his arms spread out as a welcoming gesture, "I hope to entertain you all today as best we can in return. Sentinels! Let us prepare them a feast!"

~=====~

The sound of beating drums kicked off the event. With the Titan's Curse cured, the Sentinels began the great feast for the heroes of their village. And it wasn't just the Sentinels that were participating in the festivities. Guilds from all across Tharsis and traveling Vessels also joined in. Not only that but the crew of the guild's skyship, the Godhand, also came down. Using his talents, Jaku Weiss [CV: Ayumu Murase], played multiple instruments using his ability to split his body into multiple copies to help liven up the event. The other crew members, Captain Aisha Berosa, Serias, Robro, and Lillian Rhodes [CV: Ai Nonoka], sat with the rest of the guild beside Kibagami.

The three races all chatted amongst each other, eating and drinking merrily whilst sharing tales of their exploits.

"I gotta say, Kibagami, this grog of yours is quite good! I'm glad I came down here," Aisha laughed as held out her goblet for another refill.

"Oh! Lili wants to try it too!" Lillian called out.

"Now, now, Lili. You're still far too young for that stuff," Elana admonished her. Lillian frowned and pouted at her future sister-in-law and went back to eating.

"Hahaha! Sucks to be you! I can drink as much as I like!" Jaku teased her.

"Why does Jaku-Jaku get to drink but Lili can't?!"

"That's because he's much older than he looks. Let's just put it that way," Aisha said with a tinge of annoyance.

"Aww, that's for backing me up, Aisha-ch--"

Aisha drew her gun and pointed it at the annoying child-like being.

"How many times do I have to tell you to knock it off with that '-chan' crap!"

"As many times as it takes for you to give up!"

"You little...!"

"Kuhahaha! It isn't a party without a little bloodshed. I approve!" Serias declared.

" _Hohoho! I am glad to see the crew in such high spirits. Here you go, Madam,_ " Robro refilled Aisha's goblet. The woman holstered her gun and resumed drinking.

"Your guild is quite a lively one," Kibagami commented. Reannan looked down.

"I'm sorry if they're causing too much trouble."

"Don't be! We own our lives to you outsiders," he then raised a glass and addressed everyone present, "Humans, Vessels, Sentinels... Only through our combined effort did the hunt succeed. I thank the fates for bringing us together."

The feast continued. For the first time in a while, the guild was finally able to relax. A number of Sentinel children ran up to the guild members, asking to hear more tales of their exploits, which both Beatrice and Serias gave their accounts on various events, much to the chagrin of the others.

"I really wish that you wouldn't talk about Sora's stories..." Julianna groaned.

"But I think her stories are cool!" Beatrice replied.

"So this where you all were. I must say that this is quite a lively event."

The person who approached the group this time was none other than Wufan. She looked about nervously.

"Have any of you seen the Medium around? I came to take her back to Vessel Town."

"The Medium? I thought that she would be with the children..." Reannan trailed off once she noticed that all the Sentinel children were listening to their guildmate's stories. It was at this moment that she realized that she hadn't seen the girl since she cleansed the curse. And that wasn't the only person missing...

"Kibagami, have you seen Whirlwind around?"

The large Sentinel paused for a moment before looking around the room.

"How strange. Maybe they are resting somewhere?"

Before they could contemplate the matter any further, a highly flustered Sentinel soldier rushed to Kibagami's side.

"Terrible news, master! Whirlwind took the Titan's Heart and left! He had the Medium with him as well!"

The news left not only Kibagami in shock but the rest of the guild as well.

"We last saw both he and the Medium near the exit of the village. One of our younger soldiers stopped him and inquired about his action. Things seemed to go smoothly for a while, that is until he saw that the traveler was carrying the Titan's Heart! Before he could say anything else, the traveler drew a large blade from his pack and struck him down. He is currently resting at the moment. From what he told us, the Medium did not seem to resist, but it was clear that something was wrong... As unbelievable as it sounds, we think that our guest has kidnapped the Medium!"

"But why would the traveler do such a thing...?"

Kibagami's face hardened as he stood and raised his voice for all to hear.

"Everyone, pursue the traveler! We must reclaim the Medium and the Heart! Kurohana. I will be satisfied with nothing less than an explanation from the traveler himself. I know that you cannot leave the Medium be, either."

"Of course not! We have just as many questions for Whirlwind as you do."

Kibagami nodded.

"Let me join you. I will wait at your flying basket!"

Without any further words, Kibagami stormed off toward the Godhand with Wufan following closely after him.

"...I have a very bad feeling about this."

~=====~

Meanwhile, the other party continued their journey through the frozen lands. With Yaksha guiding the way, it did not take long for them to reach the ravine that connected to the northern lands. As soon as they reached their destination, the first thing they noticed was the green skyship that was parked before them. Not only that, but an unfamiliar man was standing in front of the monument, placing an odd stone tablet onto it. Within moments, a strong wind blew from the north, dissipating the thick clouds that covered the ravine. The man turned to his skyship but immediately noticed the group.

"Yo! How are you doing, fellow traveler!" Aedric called out, "So that's how those barriers work."

The man wore a confused expression as the group approached. After looking to the skies and seeing that nothing was there, he let out of sigh of relief and relaxed his guard.

"I must say, it is rare to see someone travel around without a skyship. Did you have a run-in with the dragon that patrols this area?"

"Oh, nothing like that. We've been traveling on foot since we arrived in the Vessel's forest."

"On foot...? I'm amazed that you even made it this far."

"Haha! It was easy, really! I'm Aedric Navarre, a hero, and member of the Kurohana Guild."

"Kurohana... I see. So you must be the group they lost way back when. After seeing their strength for myself, I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that you all managed to survive this long."

Whirlwind lightly scratched his head with a troubled look on his face.

"I would take you all back to Tharsis, but I have a mission to scout out the lands beyond this ravine. The rest of your guild is currently celebrating with the Sentinels and Vessels in the Golden Lair. If you head that way, you should be able to meet up with them."

"Thanks, but no thanks. We plan to continue through the ravine. I kind of like the idea of being the first of our guild to discover a new land!" Aedric laughed. Whirlwind simply shrugged.

"Well, I won't stop you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to attend to. Good tidings to you all."

As Whirlwind turned back to his ship, he saw Yaksha staring at it intently.

"So this is, what? One of those skyship things? It looks like a flying house. I wonder what it looks like inside."

Before Whirlwind could object, Yaksha boarded the ship and began to look around.

"Oh, I wanna see too!" Manami chimed in, "Skyships are super fun!"

"Ah, wait you two! We don't want to trouble Mr..."

"Whirlwind is fine. Now that I think about it, it wouldn't be any trouble to fly you all past the ravine and drop you off on the other side. You can take this opportunity to warm yourselves up."

"I wouldn't want to impose, plus I was kind of looking forward to walking through there..."

"It's fine. It's very possible that the ravine may be impassible on foot. Besides, it's the least I could do to thank your guild for all the help they've given me."

"Well, if you put it that way..."

The party decided to take up Whirlwind's generous offer. Once on the ship, he led them inside, leading them to a place where they could rest for a while. The group soon arrived in a large room, filled with various crates and supplies.

"Huh, this looks like a cargo room."

Suddenly, the sound of a door locking resounded through the room. The party turned to see Whirlwind through the door's window.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I need you all to stay put for a while."

"Why are you locking us up?!"

"I don't have the luxury of time right now. By now, I imagine that your guild has already noticed that I'm gone. They're strong, frighteningly so. But if you're my captives, then I'm sure they won't do anything rash. I wouldn't suggest that any of you try anything either. I doubt any of you know how to pilot this skyship and I have the Medium of the Vessels on board."

"The Medium?!" Xiao screamed as he began pounded on the door, "Why is she here?! What did you do to her?!"

"She came of her own free will. I needed her to come with me, but I don't have time to explain myself. All you need to know is that there is a plan in motion and--"

"Enough of this!" Yaksha stepped forth, "I can break this door down in no time! I don't care about this Medium or whatever, all I need to do is kill this guy before he does anything to her, right?"

"...Fine then. To make a long story short, the Medium cured your village of the Titan's Curse."

"She... what...?"

"I see that got your attention. My people live in the lands beyond this point and I can assure you that the curse permeates there as well. I'm sure you can imagine how widespread it is based on how close we live to Yggdrasil. I just need to borrow the Medium's power for just a little while. Unfortunately, time is not on my side. I've been gone for 10 years now, there's no telling how much of the Empire remains..."

"The Empire...?" Aedric asked, but Whirlwind shook his head.

"That's all the time I have at the moment. I need to get moving now. Just know that I'll release you all once everything is resolved. You're only prisoners to keep your guild in line so that we may reach a peaceful understanding. But before that... Aedric, was it? That sword you have on your back... Where did you find it? You didn't take it from the Sentinel's graveyard, did you?"

"...I found it in a campsite in the Vessel's forest. I'm sorry to say, but based on the state of the camp, it looked like it had been abandoned long ago."

"...I see. So I was the only one who survived in the end, huh? What a joke..."

Whirlwind turned his back and walked away. Once he was out of sight, Aedric sighed and sat down on a nearby crate.

"So now what do we do?" Xiao asked him.

"We wait, for now. It sounds like this Empire created not only the skyships but this sword as well. That means that their technological level is far beyond what we have access to at the moment. As he said, it would be best if we don't make any rash moves, especially with the fate of a nation at risk."

"Tch! Sounds boring!" Yaksha complained.

"Well, if things go poorly, then it wouldn't be difficult to bust out. I think it would be best if we get the full picture before making any moves."

"Mm, I agree with Onii-chan!" Reika piped up, "If things go bad, Onee-chan will save us, mm!"

"And Mama too!" Manami exclaimed, "Besides, I don't want them to hurt the pretty Medium girl."

"Honestly, it is strange to see you speaking so calmly and not spouting some idiotic rhetoric," Xiao chided, "But, if it keeps the Medium safe, then I'll hold back for now."

"Fine, do whatever you want. I'm gonna go to sleep. Wake me up when all hell breaks loose."

Yaksha sauntered off to one of the far corners and fell asleep immediately. The rest of the party sat around in silence and waited for the upcoming events to unfold.


	21. The Awaited Answers

The skyship lowered, allowing the guild to step into the place known as the South Sanctuary. Judging by the Imperial skyship moored nearby, this was most likely the rendevous point. The group looked around carefully for anything amiss. Once they confirmed that everything was safe, Reannan waved to the ship. At the signal, the Outland Count, Wufan, and Kibagami stepped off the ship. Once they were safely off, Ciaran addressed the group.

"I'll stay with yer skyship so she's ready to go on a moment's notice. So don't yeh be worried about that."

The skyship that he referred to was not in fact the Godhand, but the Outland Count's personal vessel. In order for the group to be allowed to meet with the Empire, they had to meet specific requirements. First off, they couldn't come with their own skyship. Second, the Outland Count had to be present. And thirdly, an entourage allowed to escort him was to be made up of only the Kurohana Guild. Going by their options, the group decided that their current setup, Reannan, Faedyn, Julianna, Olga, and Isaac. Wufan and Kibagami came along as well since they too had personal reasons for being here.

"Is this an Imperial structure, do you think...? It looks like a library or something of the sort..." the Count spoke while surveying the room.[CV: Takehiro Hasu] Indeed, the walls were lined with books. Not only that, but this structure was covered in roots and moss. It appeared as though no one had been in this place in years.

"Well then, the time has come. Forward, everyone."

The entourage proceeded through the door ahead. Once inside, they were greeted by a group of armor-clad Imperial knights. Out of those knights, one stepped forward and addressed the group. Although his hair was slicked back and his demeanor now sharp, this man was unmistakably the one they knew as Whirlwind.

"I thank you all for coming on such short notice. His Imperial Highness will meet with you shortly."

No sooner had Whirlwind finished his greeting, a young man emerged from a room further down the hall.

"I thank you for meeting with me this day, Outland Count. I am Baldur, son and representative of Emperor Alfodr. I am gladdened to my heart's core to be reunited with fellow humans."

The dignified Prince approached the Count and the two exchanged pleasantries.

"Now then, allow us to move our conversation elsewhere. I have set aside a table with the finest luxuries I have to offer. I do hope that they are to your liking."

It became increasingly clear that the conversation to follow would be for the Count's ears only. Before Reannan could object, the Count shook his head.

"Don't worry. Margherita won't let anything happen!" he reassured the group. In response, the small dog barked happily.

"I know you must have questions as well. I suggest that you speak to Whirlwind while I am indisposed."

The Count smiled dauntlessly and calmly followed the Imperial Prince into the next room. The other guards each left the room as well, both to guard their Prince and to make certain that no monsters that infested this sanctuary would interfere. Once the last of them filed out, all that was left were the members of the Kurohana Guild, Wufan and Kibagami included, and Whirlwind himself. The group had no idea where to start and silently stared at Whirlwind. Whirlwind too returned their looks with an expressionless face.

"It is not polite to stare, you know. You had questions for me from before, correct? The proceedings may take some time, so feel free to question me to your heart's content. I promise I won't run this time."

"In that case, I'll start. Who are you and what exactly is this Empire?" Reannan demanded.

"My true name is Logre. My bloodline has served the Emperor for generations as Imperial knights. About ten years ago, I was given a mission to go beyond the barrier... that wall of clouds in the ravine. But my skyship crashed within view of Tharsis. Ever since, I've posed as a wandering explorer and waited for the right opportunity. As for your other question, the Empire is descended from the humans who once lived at the foot of Yggdrasil."

Whirlwind, or rather Logre, turned to Wufan and Kibagami.

"It was our ancestors who created the Vessels and Sentinels... After an accident at Yggdrasil, most of us, save for a few, evacuated north, beyond this Cloudy Stronghold. That is the truth behind the Battle for the Holy Tree passed down through the Vessels' legend. We are the humans they tell of who 'ran' from the Titan. That must have been how it seemed to them."

"So, that would mean the humans the Sentinels tell of are..." Wufan started.

"The ancestors of those who founded Tharsis. The fact that they held the Crown is proof enough."

"So that's what it was... What about the Medium? Where is she? I swear if you harm her..."

"She's safe. She should still be resting in the Echoing Library to the north as our guest. The Sentinels' legend has it that the Vessels took the Titan's Soul back with them... But what they refer to is the Medium herself."

"Xiuan is... but that..."

"Did you never think it strange that there was a human child in your forest despite no other humans around? Let alone the fact that she could speak with Yggdrasil itself? Bringing the Titan's Soul back to the Empire was one of my tasks... I didn't think it would take that form, though. We have no intention of harming the girl, but she will remain in our custody until we are done with her."

"For what reason would you do all of this?" Reannan asked.

"Over one hundred years ago, the Empire was faced with a dilemma that we need Yggdrasil's power to solve. To harness it, we'll need the Titan's Heart, its Soul, and its Crown. The Vessels had the Soul, the Heart was with the Sentinels, and the Crown was an heirloom of the Count's. The Crown was easy to get, since the Count didn't know its value. The Heart and Soul weren't so simple. At first, I thought of simply taking the Medium away, but then my cover in Tharsis would have been blown. So I kept a low profile until the Heart was found. I saw signs of the curse so I made sure to fetch the Medium and present her to you as your salvation. With both gathered in the same place, I made my move." 

"So that is why you helped us. Not out of compassion but for your own avarice," Kibagami growled.

"At first, I just needed to confirm with my own eyes that she could cure the curse, but when I saw the graveyard, I felt an obligation to help your people. I have not told Prince Baldur yet, but his father is buried in your village. I would never mistake the emblem on the sword that decorated that grave. I do not know for how long you knew him, but for giving him a proper burial, I am most grateful."

"And what of our comrades? The ones you have locked up," Reannan's words held a tinge of rage within them. Julianna glared at Logre upon hearing them.

"We plan to release them as soon as the proceedings are finished. It was sheer chance that I came across them. Not to be rude or anything, but your guild is very unpredictable so I felt that I needed insurance to guarantee that you lot wouldn't try anything without hearing us out first."

"And how can we be sure that we can trust you on that? After all, you did not deem us fit to trust with your plight before acting the way you did."

"Your anger and distrust are only natural since I did betray you. I could have been entirely open and possibly had the willing help of the Count, the Vessels, and the Sentinels. But the Empire's problem was nearing a crisis point and I could not fail. So I made sure I was holding all the cards before opening negotiation, knowing full well how it would look. You can see for yourselves the unnatural vines that blanket this place. And trust me when I say this, but it is far worse in the cities surrounding the Capital. Reannan, you are a leader of a nation. If you were in my position, would you act quickly so as not to prolong your people's suffering, or would you take your time to discuss things, even though an understanding may never be possible?"

"I..."

"Don't worry about it. There is no right or wrong answer to that question. I did what I believe was the correct path and I will take any fire that comes from it. Right now, His Imperial Highness is in there, explaining to the Count how necessary Yggdrasil's power is to us. Once the crisis has passed, we will return the Heart. And of course, the Medium will be free to--"

At that moment, the door leading to where the Outland Count and the Imperial Prince was burst open. The Count came out alone, his face twisted in rage. As he began to stomp toward the skyship, Baldur stepped out of the room and addressed him.

"Outland Count, is our dream of utopia truly so difficult to understand? If you are a leader of men, then you must consider what is most beneficial to Tharsis as well. We are both humans, who share an ancestry. What else can we do but join hands?"

The Count spun toward the Prince, spitting out his next words.

"And you think this worth sacrificing the Medium? Slaughtering the Vessels and the Sentinels?! Your project is loathsome to me. What worth is there in a utopia built on a mountain of corpses?!"

"Sacrificing the..." Reannan trailed off. These words came as an absolute shock to the group. They all turned to Logre in response to know more, but he too held the same look they had. He turned to his Prince, hoping that there was a misunderstanding or that he had heard wrong. But the Prince's expression did not change. He only stared coldly at the Count.

"It seems further explanation is due. I cannot let you leave in this state. Logre, detain the Outland Count. I leave the handling of his escort to your discretion."

Logre hesitated for a moment for he could not believe the words that escaped Baldur's lips. He gripped his Drive Blade tightly and drew it toward the Count. As a knight, he was honor-bound to follow his liege's order, regardless of what he thought of them. He took a step forward, only for both Wufan and Kibagami to run to the Count's side. He then quickly turned to his left and swung his massive blade, only for it to clash against Faedyn's sword. The sword's motor revved up, forcing more power into Logre's swing. Unable to handle any more of its power, Faedyn was thrown back, crashing onto the floor.

"I have watched your guild for quite some time now. I am fully aware of all the tricks you employ!"

"Are you now~?"

Julianna tossed a bag toward Logre's face. On reflex, he struck the bag with his sword. Upon being struck, the bag exploded into a cloud of sand, blinding the Imperial knight. Taking full advantage of the situation, the succubus ran in with her twin blades at the ready. However, she was greeted by a swift kick to the gut instead. Logre began to lift his blade to finish her off, only to feel immense pain in his arm. It was at this point that he noticed one of Olga's barbed arrows was embedded deep in his arm. The Drive Blade was an extremely heavy sword. It would be impossible to fight with it while only using one arm. Much to Logre's dismay, this guild was becoming more synchronized with one another with each fight. At this point, he could already hear the crackling of the runes that the Crimson Princess employed. If he didn't act quickly, he would feel the full force of her fury.

Thinking carefully, he slammed a strange cartridge into the giant blade. The motor whirled wildly as flames began to shoot out of the sword itself. Logre lifted the sword behind him as best he could before slamming it down. The flames that came forth shot the Imperial knight forward, well past the party and toward the exit of the sanctuary. With another push, he used his legs to swing the blade haphazardly. Although the attack itself wasn't threatening, the flames still caused the party to back off.

"I'm sorry, but the situation has changed. I have nothing else to say to you now. But if you're worried for the Medium, come to the Echoing Library. If you think you're right, try and stop us. Remember, though... The next time we meet, I won't hold back like this."

With that, Logre quickly withdrew from the room. The guild slowly let down their guards as it was clear that the immediate threat was over.

"It seems the Imperial Prince has retreated as well. Nicely done," the Count congratulated the group, "The Prince gave me a general outline of the plan, but based on what little I heard, I could never agree to it. It involves sacrificing the Vessels, the Sentinels, and the Medium to save their wretched Empire. We must put a stop to this... But we can discuss this further once we're back home. Let's be gone from here."

The Outland Count began to lead the way back to his skyship and the group began to follow. Reannan, however, only stood there while thinking of Logre's last words.

"Is something wrong, Rean?" Faedyn asked her.

"It's nothing. Come, let us be off."

~=====~

Aboard the Imperial skyship, Baldur listened to the end of Logre's report.

"It appears that this guild is quite troublesome. It is quite fortunate that we still have a few of their precious comrades under lock and key. So long as that stays so, I do not believe they will attempt anything rash. The Outland Count may not agree with my vision of the future, but I am certain that he will come around once he mulls it over."

"Your Highness... about what the Count said..."

"Do his words trouble you? It is as he said, we will require a great sacrifice to regain Yggdrasil's blessings and restore our Empire. But do not worry over the small details. We created the servitor races, to begin with. We gave them life. It is only right that we take those lives back. Do you not agree?"

"I... yes, your Highness..."

"I am truly glad to have you at my side, Logre. If there is no further business, then you are dismissed."

Logre bowed once more and left the Prince's chambers. He stood outside the door in a daze with a haunted look on his face. As Logre began to walk, he shuffled his feet as though he was immensely exhausted. One of the nearby soldiers noticed this and called out to him.

"Sir Logre! It is good to see you! Are you feeling well, Sir?"

"What happened to him...?"

"Sir?"

"What happened to the Prince? He was never like this when I last saw him. What could have possibly changed him so much?!"

"You were gone a long time, Sir. A lot can change in ten years."

"But this? He speaks of genocide as though it were the most natural thing in the world..."

"We have no choice, I'm afraid. The curse is still rampant throughout the Empire and our outposts are covered in thick vines. It is only a matter of time before they reach the Capital. If nothing is done, we're finished. Not even the Prince..." the soldier suddenly stopped and held his words.

"What? What were you about to say?"

"...Even the Imperial Prince... is cursed..."

Logre's mind nearly broke from those words. Denying the Baldur's plan was the same as condemning him to death. As a proud knight who served the royal family, he could not allow this to pass. He would never be able to face Emperor Alfodr if he did. The soldier continued.

"That's not all. You may not know of this, but the Titan itself attacked us just this past year."

"The Titan? That... that shouldn't be possible!"

"About a year ago, strange tentacle-like appendages sprouted from the ground. They attacked everything that drew near to them. Not only that, but they approached Yggdrasil and attempted to destroy it. Such horrid things could only come from the Titan itself! It attempted to break free from its prison! The fighting only lasted an hour before the foul appendages fell and melted in the sunlight. But by then, the damage was done. So many lives were lost and the curse only spread further. We were lucky the first time, but what if it attacked us again? That is why we cannot stop no matter the cost..."

After hearing that, Logre collected his thoughts and his expression hardened.

"Thank you for telling me this. Knowing what I know now has only strengthened my resolve."

Logre let out a light sigh as his face hardened.

"Kurohana will come. They are a reckless sort who will march in, heedless of the danger. Should we meet again, then so be it. It will be my resolve versus theirs. Whoever wins will be correct."

With that, Logre marched off deeper into the skyship, his footsteps still heavy but with a new meaning behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally added the Guild Cards for each of the guild members.
> 
> https://imgur.com/gallery/KVZrgkc


	22. The Chase

The Kurohana Guild all sat aboard their skyship, the Godhand while its Captain, Aisha, looked over the final details. Floating beside their skyship was another, this one owned by a fellow explorer by the name of Wiglaf. She eagerly awaited the Captain's signal to start the mission.

The plan was simple, Wiglaf would fly ahead into the Empire's territory and distract the warships they had patrolling their destination, the Echoing Library. During this time, the Godhand would sneak in and drop the main party off. Although it seemed simple enough, there were too many skyships for Wiglaf to distract on her own. However, another explorer by the name of Kirjonen had already flown ahead to a second meeting point, a spot that would be perfect for pulling the remaining ships away. All that was needed was for the guild to fly by unnoticed and meet up with Kirjonen for the second half.

Aisha nodded to herself before waving her hand toward Wiglaf.

"We're all good over here! We're counting on you!"

"Great, I'll get going then. Good luck getting in!" she waved back before she began mumbling to herself, "Now how close should I cut it... If I get in too close, they'll shoot me down... Hmmmm..."

Without a moment to lose, Wiglaf's ship began its ascent. The Godhand followed suit, keeping a fair distance behind her. Once Wiglaf had risen over the walls, her ship shot forth toward the path of the closest warship.

"Faedyn, I'm gonna need your eyes for this one," Aisha called out. Faedyn removed her glasses and cast a strengthening spell upon her eyes, enhancing her vision.

"Have they noticed her yet?"

"Their cannons are already moving into positions. It's safe to say that they won't see us."

"Good. Let's stick closer to the ground just to be safe. We'll take it slow from here."

The Godhand crossed over the wall and slowly descended. The sound of cannon fire could be heard in the distance while Wiglaf ran circles around the ships. This elicited a groan from Jaku.

"How boooooring. And here I thought that we'd be dodging cannon fire left and right. Whatever happened to the fearless Bandit Queen, huh?"

"Fearlessness and stupidity are not the same things, brat. There isn't any way that we can win in a dogfight against those monsters. I hate to say it, but my cannons don't quite match up."

" _Perhaps the Godhand is due for some upgrades then, wouldn't you say?_ " Robro suggested, " _The next time we stop by Armoroad, I will speak with our engineers in the Deep City._ "

"Doesn't Edie's little sister run the trade show down there? Thanks but no thanks. Just because I'm a partner doesn't mean I get any discounts from their stores. Hell, I'm sure what's-her-name doesn't get any family discounts either. Plus, the last thing I need is the boss yelling at me about upgrading my artillery. 'What do you need a cannon for? If you keep loading your ship with those, where is all my wonderful merchandise going to go? All you have to do is make these deliveries on time, so chop-chop!' Pah, like she'd understand!"

" _Hohoho! Quite! Mayhaps she will change her tune once the Lemurian expedition goes underway._ "

"That would be nice. It would be nice if Maginia or whatever they're calling it gets complete soon..."

"Talking about a new job, I take it?" Reannan asked.

"Hm? This expedition involves you all as well. You're telling me that you haven't heard of Lemuria? There's one of those Yggdrasil trees right in the middle of a series of islands."

"Another Yggdrasil? No, I can't say that I have."

"Really? I figured that Ash would've told you about it since there's a huge expedition heading there and all."

"Let's just say that this Ashley hasn't exactly been very helpful this time around."

"Oh right, they swap out sometimes, huh. Well, whatever. I'm sure they'll tell you about it sooner or later. But first things first, that's Kirjonen's ship up ahead, ain't it?"

The Godhand slowed down as it pulled up to the familiar skyship. As they did so, an androgynous man stepped out hailed the group over.

"Timing is all when it comes to our feint at the Imperial armada... I leave the decision in your hands," he called out.

"Go on ahead. We're ready whenever you are."

"I shall do so. May fortune favor you, Guild Kurohana! I am bent on opening a path to the Echoing Library for you. They shall not lay a finger on your skyship."

Kirjonen moved forward with the Godhand following far behind. After some distance was crossed, he shot forward directly in the path of one of the warships. The group didn't even need to check with Faedyn if it had seen him as the warship immediately changed direction toward the man.

"Good. All we have to do now is follow along with the aqueducts and we'll be there in no time. I gotta say, this is turning out a lot easier than..."

A large shadow ran itself over the ship. Aisha already had a general idea of what it was and only closed her eyes and sighed.

"Faedyn, mind looking up for me?"

Faedyn followed Aisha's instructions and lifted her head. With a grimace, she cast a strengthening spell on her eyes.

"There's a battleship right above us, yeah?"

"...Yeah."

"And I take it that its cannons are aimed at us?"

"Yep."

"That figures. I just had to go and say something, now didn't I. Haaah... Robro, you know what to do."

" _But of course, Madam Aisha. I shall see to it._ "

With a light bow, Robro hurried below deck.

"Alright, everyone! Grab onto something sturdy. Things are about to get real wild here in a moment!"

"Aisha! Cannon fire incoming!" Faedyn shouted. In response, Aisha knocked on a metal funnel that hung beside the steering wheel.

"Hey, you in there yet?"

" _Awaiting your orders, Madam._ "

"Kick it!"

At Aisha's beckoning, Robro set off the thrusters in the engine room. The ship suddenly lurched forward, throwing the unprepared passengers around the deck. However, it paid off as several cannon shots exploded from where they once were. The ship continued to speed along with the warship following behind.

"Tch! That thing moves fast, doesn't it? Hey, Jaku! Why don't you play us a tune?"

"Eh? Right now?!"

"Of course right now! A little music to set the mood and get the blood pumping would be perfect right about now!"

"Fine, fine. I hear you."

Despite his tone, Jaku smirked as his body began to split into more copies of himself, each holding a different instrument. As he did, Elana approached him.

"I may as well join in the festivities as well. Now then, what song to go for. Hmm..."

"Lili wants to help too!" Lillian called out, "Should she man the cannons and return fire?"

"Unfortunately, my cannons can't aim up so well. You might as well head below deck and make sure the demon girl doesn't throw up on everything."

"Okay! Lili will do that then!"

"Then, I shall be the one to return fire!" Serias cackled, "Oh, lowly Imperial dogs! How I pity you for the hell you are about to receive from none other than the ancient evil himself! Kuhaha! Now, envision the path of the chaotic flow, the mana within begins--OW!"

Serias suddenly stopped his incantation and held his hand to his mouth.

"...You bit your tongue, didn't you?" Aisha asked.

"Kuhaha!"

"Enough of that obnoxious laugh of yours! A yes or no would suffice!"

"It appears as though higher powers are in league with our enemy. Such is the nature of things. Well, no matter. A mere curse cast upon my vessel is nothing but--"

"Okay! I get it! Just shut up! You're going to give me a headache!"

"...I got it. For an aerial chase, let's go with 'Into Free', shall we?" Elana nodded to herself.

"Ah, I know that one! I should be able to play that with these instruments."

"I'll cover the rest with my runes. Now then, shall we get this performance started?"

As Elana cast a rune on her throat, Faedyn cried out.

"More cannon fire incoming! Right side, er, starboard!"

"...Okay Jaku, let's just skip the piano and get to the meat of the song."

As the Jakus and Elana began their performance, Aisha turned the ship sharply to the left, driving as close to the aqueducts as humanly possible. Large explosions flared up, narrowly missing the ship. Thankfully, Elana's runes from the song she sang began to enhance the ship's hull, making it a little more resistant to damage. Another explosion came forth, this time from above. This time the cannonballs struck the aqueduct itself, causing pieces to start raining down upon the Godhand.

" **Deep Dark Darkness Flames!!** "

"Galvanic Rune!"

Reannan and Serias's spells struck the largest of the debris, shattering them into harmless pebbles. More and more explosions rocked the stone structure, causing it to fall apart around the group.

"I hope your song is tethering us to the ground! Robro, again! Full power this time!"

" _Hohoho! As you wish, Madam._ "

Instead of the sudden bursts of speed that the ship had from before, it now shot forward at an intense speed. Thankfully, Elana's singing was in fact keeping the group tied to the ground, otherwise, they probably would have been flung off at this point. However, despite how fast they were going, it still wasn't enough to avoid everything. Aisha began to tilt and turn the ship rapidly, narrowly avoiding any falling pieces coming her way. Reannan and Serias continued to launch spell after spell, destroying anything that Aisha couldn't dodge and creating a firework display of sorts.

Once they finally managed to pass by the immediate danger, Faedyn called out again.

"There's a gap right up ahead! On the, uh, whatever the left side is called! It should take us straight to the Library!"

"It's called port. Robro, can you slow us down a bit? This is going to be a tight turn."

" _My apologies, Madam Aisha. Even if I stop the thrusters now, I do not believe that we will slow down in time._ "

"Do it anyway! I'll think of something!"

The flames coming from the stern of the ship died down, yet the ship itself continued at full throttle. It wasn't long before they passed by the gap that Faedyn had mentioned. Aisha spun her wheel, forcing the ship to turn away from the wall they followed alongside and back into the open. The ship continued to drift in a large arc, turning back to the gap they had missed prior. Once they were in position, the ship shot forward again. Cannon explosions followed right behind them, indicating that the warship had finally caught up.

"Tch! Persistent bastards, ain't they?"

"Uuuuuugggh... why is the ship mooooving sooooo muuuuuch..." Julianna dragged herself onto the deck, looking horribly sick.

"Rise and shine, girlie. You're just in time for the finale."

"Please stop moving around sooooo muuuuch... I'm going tooooo..."

"Hey! You save that for when you're off my ship, you hear!"

"Aisha! We have a problem!" Faedyn pointed out far ahead. At first, Aisha saw their destination, the Echoing Library. Patrolling around the place were two large stone guardians. Getting past those did not seem to be a problem, but that didn't seem to be what Faedyn was pointing at. Floating above the Library was yet another warship and judging by the look on Faedyn's face, it was clear that it had spotted them as well.

"Robro, how are we doing on fuel?"

" _I would say we have enough for one final run. Should we miss this shot, then we will only have enough to return to Tharsis._ "

"Figures. Well, whatever! Full speed ahead!"

" _Hohoho! Aye aye, Madam._ "

The thruster flared up once again, launching the ship forward. The warships continued their approach on both sides.

"Alright you lot, you heard the man! We only get one shot at this! I'm going to get you all to that Library one way or another. So here's the plan, we're going to keep going at this speed and fly right past the place. You five get into positions and at my signal, jump off."

"J-jump? You said jump, r-right?" Reannan stammered.

"Yeah, jump. Simple, right? I'm sure Elana's runes will keep you protected so you don't turn to jelly on landing. Now, enough chit-chat. We don't have much time to pull this off. And one of you grab that sick girl while you're at it. I don't need her making a mess on my ship."

Olga hurried over to Julianna, lifted her up, and hurried over to the edge of the ship. Usually, Julianna would voice her complaints as loudly as possible, but due to her current condition, it took everything she had to not throw up. The party all stood at the edge of the ship, one foot on the railing with a nervous look on their faces.

"We just need to go a little bit further. Remember, don't jump until I give the say-so."

The Godhand sped along the ground, rapidly approaching its destination. Aisha kept a careful eye on the two guardians so as not to get in their way.

"A bit more..."

The warship ahead of them began to speed up in their direction. The one behind continued to fire shots to slow their advance.

"Almost there..."

The main party gulped as the Library began to grow closer and closer.

"Alright, say your final prayers and--"

" _ **\--IIIIIIIOOOOOOOTTTTTTSSSSS!!!**_ "

Suddenly, the ship that came from the front shot passed the group and crashed directly into the other warship. The guild could only watch as the two ships fell from the sky, landing right outside of the Echoing Library. Not only that, but they crashed directly into one of the stone guardians, destroying it and blocking the path of the other. In an instant, the entire situation changed. It was so much that Aisha couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh... Hahaha! Looks like our luck just turned around! Robro, kill the thrusters, we won't be needing them anymore."

The ship slowed down and moored itself next to the labyrinth. Without any immediate danger, they now had all the time in the world.

"And here I was hoping to see if you guys would have jumped. A real shame, that."

"Hey! We could have died from that!" Julianna complained.

"Eh, if that happened I'm sure that Marie person would have just revived you all again. Nothing to worry about, really. If anything, this just saved us the trouble of trying to do this all again."

" _Indeed, I happened to watch the show from down below. That was quite a marvelous 'knuckle' if I do say so myself,_ " Robro chuckled.

"...'Knuckle'? The hell is that supposed to mean?"

" _Oh, don't you worry about that. In any case, I imagine that we should not tarry around here for long. I am certain that more ships will follow due to that explosion._ "

"Good point. Alright you five, go on ahead. We'll head back to Tharsis once the coast is clear."

"Alright. Take care, Aisha. And thanks." Reannan nodded.

"Don't sweat it, Princess. Just make sure you bring that girl back home, you hear?"

With one final look back, the party disembarked from the Godhand and entered the Echoing Library in hopes that they will find the Medium in time.


	23. Prison Break

High above the Echoing Library flew one of the Empire's Imperial warships. Like the others that patrolled the Cloudy Stronghold, it was set here to keep any explorers from disturbing their Prince while he made the final preparations. This ship in particular however held something else aboard. Below the deck, there was a small prison with five 'guests' wallowing away. These five were, of course, the captured members of Kurohana that ran into Logre a few days prior. For the moment, they were kept here as hostages to keep the rest of the guild out of the Library. Logre had already surmised that the guild would show up regardless, but he had hoped that by keeping this group on one of the ships, it would prevent Tharsis from attempting to attack the warships themselves. Not that they had the firepower to do so, mind you, but it would go a long way into stalling the other explorer's ships until the time was right.

Aedric continued to lounge back in the only chair in the cell. He figured that as long as they were stuck in the ship, they might as well wait. No one in the group knew how to fly these ships so taking it over would be pointless in the end. And if they did want to escape, well that was easy. Although all of their belonging were confiscated, the Imperial soldiers didn't bother to remove Aedric's black gauntlet. Perhaps they figured that it was just a simple piece of armor and didn't see any real worth in taking it. And luckily for the group, the cell door was made of steel. All it would take was one small push to break the door.

Aedric stared up at the ceiling of the cell, bored out of his mind. He could hear Reika and Manami playing some sort of word game to pass the time. He could also hear Yaksha's snoring. Yaksha only woke up when they were being transferred to the ship they were currently confined in. Once they reached the cell, he just plopped over onto the bed and fell asleep again. It struck the group as odd for how compliant he was being. But they figured that he was just saving his strength for when it was time to escape.

Aedric's eyes turned to Xiao, who was standing by the only window in the cell. Once they entered the room, he just parked himself at that spot and didn't move or say anything.

"Anything interesting going on out there?" Aedric asked him. Xiao didn't bother to answer back. Aedric took this not so much as Xiao ignoring him, but that there really was nothing happening outside. Although he was rude most of the time, Xiao didn't bother saying things that he had felt didn't need to be said, something that Aedric had caught on to during their travels. He decided to drop the subject and resumed looking back up at the ceiling. Small bits of dust rained down from above as the sound of muffled footsteps began to scurry about.

"Huh, sounds like something is going on up there."

"...Hm? What's that?" Xiao suddenly spoke up.

"You finally see something?"

"It appears as though some idiots are trying to sneak into the library."

"Ooh! Lemmie see!"

Aedric pushed Xiao aside and peered out the window, looking for the ship he had mentioned. Once he spotted it off in the distance, he noticed something odd. This ship had a somewhat familiar-looking black flag adorned on the top. Aedric squinted his eyes as he tried to make out the design.

"Wait a second... isn't that the Godhand? The Godhand can fly now?!"

Upon hearing this, Reika climbed over Aedric's shoulder to have a look herself.

"Mm, it is! That's Aneki's ship!"

"Someone, you know?"

"Yeah, it belongs to a pirate captain we know. If she's all the way here, then that means she probably forcefully registered her ship as our guild's for a quick buck. Haha, classic Aisha! Wait, that means that our guild is down there!"

Aedric watched as the skyship dodged and weaved past both cannon fire and debris from the nearby aqueducts.

"You know what, screw waiting around. Let's just bust out of here and help them out!"

Aedric hurried over to the cell door and placed his right hand over the door.

"Wait, aren't you being just a little too hasty?"

"I'm not going to sit around while my family is in danger. They're just as important to me as the Medium is to you."

With a light push, the door was torn from its hinges and embedded itself into the opposite wall. A startled guard took a quick peek into the cell.

"T-the prisoners! They're--"

" **HAHAHAHA!!** "

Before the guard could say anything else, Yaksha leapt from his bed and tackled him. He slammed the poor man against the wall several times before he was knocked unconscious. Yaksha then let the man go and sped off to find more adversaries. The halls filled with laughter and horrified screams wherever he went. Aedric lifted a finger, ready to say something, but slowly let his hand drop.

"We... we should probably hurry after him."

The group ran down the halls of the ship, following the fallen bodies of Imperial soldiers as they went. After they climbed the stairs, they found a room off to the side with the door slightly ajar. From what could be seen through the crack, this room appeared to be a mini-armory where the soldiers stored their weapons and armor. Aedric threw open the door, expecting that Yaksha had stopped by to find his sword.

"Hey, Yaksha! Are you..."

Instead, the group was met with two soldiers, both arming up to deal with the escapees. And in one of their hands, was a familiar-looking katana with paper seals plastered on it. Before anyone else could move a muscle, Reika shot forward. She grabbed a nearby chair and hopped onto the central table, throwing the chair at the head of the soldier who had yet to put on a helmet. With that man falling back, she then snatched a dagger from the table and leapt at the soldier who held her sword, her feet striking his chest. The soldier fell to the floor with the girl's full weight upon his chest. She then pulled the blade back and thrust it toward an open gap between his helmet and chest armor.

"Reika! STOP!"

The dagger stopped just short of the soldier's throat. All he could do was stare into the girl's dead eyes as he felt a cold wind blow from the gap in his helmet, a wind far colder than he ever felt before.

"No killing, okay?"

Reika said nothing back to Aedric and continued looking at the soldier.

"Be grateful that Onii-chan is merciful. Mm."

Without breaking her stare, she used her other hand to snatch the katana out of the quivering soldier's hands. Even as the girl turned her back and walked away, the soldier couldn't help but continue shivering, so much that he didn't even notice Aedric remove his helmet.

"Sorry."

With one quick punch to the man's jaw, the soldier was out cold. With that out of the way, Aedric decided to look around to find his sword.

"Ah! They broke it!" Xiao shouted as he held up two pieces of his staff. It seemed like it broke at some point during transport.

"Does this mean you can't cast spells anymore?"

"Idiot. A staff is just a focusing agent. I don't need such a thing to create circles. I'm just mad that I will have to waste time to create another one."

Xiao looked through the weapons rack for a moment before pulling out two daggers.

"These will do for the moment, I suppose."

"Hey, you didn't happen to see my sword around here did you?"

"That rusted piece of junk? They probably threw it out."

"Why?! Why would they do that?!"

"Why do you even care? There's plenty of other swords like that one over there. Just pick one out so we can get out of here before Yaksha makes things worse."

"But it's just not the same. I wanted to take Ol' Rusty all the way to Yggdrasil..."

"Ol'... Did you seriously name your sword?"

"Of course I did! A good weapon needs a good name! I mean, you seemed broken up about your staff."

"That was only because I don't want to make another one. I already told you that, idiot. Forget about your sword and grab another one. We're wasting enough time as is."

With a frown, Aedric begrudgingly took another Drive Blade from off the wall as well as making sure to grab Yaksha's sword. With everyone now armed, the group returned to the hall and began to head toward the top deck. At this point, they had noticed that they hadn't heard any sort of clamor in a while. They continued to follow the bodies until at last they reached what they figured was the bridge of the ship. Once they stepped inside the room, they were greeted by not only the sight of the fallen but also Yaksha, who just leaned up against the steering wheel.

"Yo! You guys were too slow so I mopped up around here! That means that this is my win!" Yaksha puffed proudly.

"You... Did you even think for a moment that fighting them was a bad idea?" Xiao glowered.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Nobody here knows how to fly one of these things!"

"...Ah."

"Don't you 'ah' me!"

"These guys... they're not dead, are they?" Aedric asked as he slowly walked to the fallen bodies.

"I dunno. Maybe? If you hand me my sword I can stab them to make sure."

"I think it's best if we avoid killing these guys. It's not like we're out to make enemies of this Empire. That would just make our situation worse."

"It would? Oh, my bad!"

"So, now what do we do?" Xiao asked.

"U-um... I might be able to pilot it."

The group turned to Manami, who only slightly raised her hand.

"I actually watched the pilot of the ship way back in Tharsis for quite some time. I should be able to manage it!"

"If you say so, then go for it, Mana!" Aedric gave a thumbs up. Manami quickly hurried over to the steering wheel as Xiao closed in on Aedric.

"Do you really think it's so wise to let a child handle this?"

"Oh, come on. If she says that she can handle it, then I trust her."

"Wow... there's a lot more knobs and handles than I remember... er, I think we'll be just fine!"

"...You were saying?"

"Haha... Mana, try to steer the ship toward the one just over there."

"Okay!"

When it came to steering the ship, Manami was able to do just fine. The rest of the group walked over to the console she was parked at and looked over all the bits and pieces scattered all over.

"I can't even begin to imagine what any of these do..." Xiao's eyes darted from one display to the next.

"That one over there is firing its cannons, so maybe this ship can do it too. But, which button controls the cannons?" Aedric slowly moved his pointer finger about, as though trying to divine the location of the proper button.

"It's probably this big red one!" Yaksha immediately pushed the button before anyone could say anything. The sound of the ship's thrusters flared up as it began to pick up speed.

"Idiot! Don't touch anything!"

"Huh, that didn't work? Maybe if we push it more..."

Yaksha began to tap the button, the ship picking up more and more speed as he did so.

"Stop doing that! We're going to crash right into them! Ugh... Manami, turn away from the ship, at least until we can figure out how to slow back down."

"...Actually, keep at it, Mana. I have a plan!" Aedric declared.

"A plan, huh. Oh, I just can't wait to hear this one."

"It's simple really. We just keep heading toward the ship. I'll stand right on the bow and right before we crash into it, I'll punch it!"

"...Huh?"

"I said that I'll punch it!"

"I heard you the first time. I'm just trying to comprehend how your feeble mind thinks. That isn't a plan, that's suicide!"

"Oh, come on! This gauntlet is magnetic, remember? All I have to do is hit the other ship at full blast and it'll get knocked away. Simple!"

"I don't think that's how that works. What makes you so confident about all this? What if it doesn't work?"

"I say that we don't think about such pessimistic thoughts and just do it anyway. Such things only hold us back from greatness! As the saying goes, don't think, feel!"

"...Someone please talk some sense into him..."

"I'm with you there!" Yaksha spoke up.

"Finally, you say something--"

"I'm gonna hit it with my sword!"

"...Nevermind."

Without any further complaints, Aedric and Yaksha left the bridge and headed toward the bow of the ship. Xiao turned to the two girls.

"How can you two just let this happen without a word?"

"I trust him! He's the Big Guy from the legend! He can do anything!"

"Mm, Onii-chan's plans always work out!"

"I seriously doubt that... Ah, dammit!"

Xiao ran out of the bridge and toward Aedric and Yaksha. The two stood fearlessly, the wind tearing through their hair as they fast approached the warship.

"You two are really doing this?! Are you mad?!"

"Haha, well, you got to be a little crazy to be in Kurohana! No regrets!"

"You..."

Aedric pulled back his fist with a large smile on his face.

"Y-you..."

" ** _CRACKLING--_** "

" **YOU...** "

" ** _\--KNUCKLE!!_** "

" ** _YOU GOOOODDAAAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNN IIIIIIIDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOTTTTTTSSSSS!!!_** "

Aedric's fist hit the warship. Unlike what he had expected, rather than knock it away, the push from the gauntlet ended up tearing apart the other ship. Not only that, but the feedback also affected the ship they were currently on.

"Oops! Too much power! Haha!"

"Now is not the time to laugh! We're going to die!!"

"We can die later! Let's just grab the girls and jump off before it explodes!"

Without any further words, Aedric and Yaksha took off toward the bridge, leaving a furious Xiao behind.

"Damn it! Wait for me!"

~=====~

"Ah, that was a close one!" Aedric said, crossing his arms and nodded contently.

"We almost died there, you idiot! What kind of plan was that anyway?!" Xiao shouted.

"The best kind, clearly. After all, we got out alive, didn't we?"

"That doesn't make it a good plan!!"

"Haha! Who cares about all that? We survived because we're strong! Nothing else to it!" Yaksha laughed.

"I could do without your idiotic rhetoric..."

"Um, guys?" Manami spoke up.

"Hm? What's wrong Mana?"

"How long are you three going to stay up there?"

The three in question were actually hanging upside down. Xiao had managed to use his circles to bind both his and Yaksha's legs in place to keep them from falling. Since the circles didn't affect Aedric, Yaksha instead held him by his leg.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot I was still holding on to you."

Without any hesitation, Yaksha released his grip, causing Aedric to crash down onto the ground below.

"Oww... you could have at least warned me..."

"I must say, that was quite satisfying to watch. As will this."

Xiao immediately released the circle keeping Yaksha bound. The Sentinel too fell crashing to the ground, landing directly onto Aedric. With a light chuckle, Xiao released himself and floated gently down. Once the group had managed to pick themselves up, they stepped out of the wreckage and surveyed the area around them. The two ships that had collided had been utterly torn to sheds.

"We truly are lucky to survive all of that. I can't say as much for the Imperials aboard, however," Xiao lamented.

"Then we have our work cut out for us," Aedric said as he began moving pieces of the wreckage.

"What are you doing?"

"I am a hero. If there is even one survivor, I want to save them. I said it before, we are not here to make enemies of this Empire and I cannot turn my back on someone in need."

"Mm, I'll help too!" Reika took off and began calling out, hoping to hear someone answer back.

"Me too! I can heal anyone we find!" Manami declared as she opened her bag with a slightly devilish grin.

"I don't really care about saving people, but I haven't lifted anything in a few days, so I might as well use this to catch up on my training," Yaksha began lifting bits of wreckage and tossing them into a neat pile.

"I'm not one to lift heavy objects, so I'll leave that to you all. Should any ship come this way to survey the damage, I'll try to explain the situation to them. After all, I can't expect any of you idiots to be capable of articulating a satisfactory statement," Xiao shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks! We're counting on you for that!"

Xiao was suddenly at a loss for words when he heard the man he constantly insulted thank him. He immediately turned his head to the skies without a single word as the others continued their tireless work in their search for survivors.


	24. A Shopping Experience

After warping back to Tharsis, the party headed to their usual first stop, the Berund Atelier, to sell off the materials they had found and to restock on supplies. As per usual, out in front of the shop was a lively young girl by the name of Wynne. [CV: Ayaka Suge] She appeared to be working on various pet projects around the shop. Once she heard the approaching footsteps of the guild, she perked up and waved them over.

"Oh! It's da Kurohana crew! What brings ya here today? Weapons? Medicine? Or ya just droppin off more materials?"

"Just selling for now. But if we find anything, we'll be sure to let you know," Reannan handed a large bag of materials to the young girl.

"Righto! I'll gets dis all tallied up. Feel free ta browse while yas waitin!"

The girl took the bag of spoils and spread them out along a nearby table. The rest of the group spread out, looking over the merchandise.

"You know, I think my swords are due for an upgrade. Don't you think a few of these Schiavonas would look good on me?" Julianna held up one of the swords.

"I believe that we should focus on medicinal supplies for the moment. Those would be a far better use for our funds than a weapon that you're just going to replace soon anyway," Isaac commented while looking over the available medicines.

"What would you know about weapons anyway? It's not like you use yours."

"Do you even look at the request sheets? Look here. If we can get some Tiny Teeth and something called a Resin Cylinder, we can make a far better weapon for you. I don't see a point in spending over 15,000 Ental right now for a minor upgrade."

"Wouldn't upgrading my swords make us that money that much faster?"

"You see, this is why you aren't in charge of our funds. Your frivolous spending habits would spell doom for our guild."

"Fine then! We'll do it your way and spend aaaaaallll our money on healing items! We'll stock up on the good stuff! Medica IIIs, Nectar IIs, Amrita IIs. We'll buy ALL OF IT!!"

"We can't afford all of that! We're better off sticking with the cheap items! It will teach us to be more careful on our jaunts through the labyrinth! Those items are meant only for the direst of circumstances!"

"Huh?! What's the point of carrying them if we never use them?! As soon as we run out of basic Medicas, you're all like, we got to go back to town. What's up with that?!"

"I'm sure that if it were up to you, we'd be using Hamaos and Madoras on rats! Those items are far too important for such creatures!"

"Oh, I get it! You're the type of person who hoards items all the way through the adventure! Well, I'll tell you this, if we end up fighting God and you still don't want to use anything, then I'm going to beat the shit out of you!"

The other three guild members watched in silence as Julianna and Isaac argued back and forth.

"Uh, Rean? Shouldn't we stop them?" Faedyn asked.

"Just let them get it out of their system. It's not like either of them are in charge of our funds anyway," Reannan sighed.

"Sorry for da wait. Dem materials gets ya 5,329 Ental! If ya gots somethin picked out, I can take it outta da total," Wynne called out. It was hard to tell if she was either tuning out the yelling or if she was just used to hearing similar arguments from other explorers.

"I think we might be fine on supplies at the moment... Oh! Could you forge another one of those power boosts into this," Faedyn pulled out her bastard sword and handed it to the girl.

"Sure thing! I'll be done in a jiffy!"

With a few quick whacks from one of her specialized hammers, she handed the sword back to Faedyn.

"There ya go! By the way, I hear dat new labyrint ya found is really flipping tough. So I made ya a new weapon that'll knock em on their backs! I call it da Squadron Cannon! Ta-daaaa!"

The girl gestured to a large mechanical monstrosity. The guild members had no idea how to respond to such a thing aside from Olga whose eyes widened brightly.

"I made it by tinkering wit an old siege ballista. Ya form a five-man formation and blast away! It only gots da one shot, but it's a doozy!"

"That is..." Reannan started.

"That is AMAZING!" Olga squealed. She ran over to get a closer look at Wynne's creation while the girl smiled proudly.

"This could be great! Imagine it, we could all stand behind it and shout in unison when we fire it!"

"You're starting to sound like Sora..." Julianna frowned.

"Yeah, it'll be great for finishing off--"

"How are we going to carry it?" Reannan spoke up.

"I don't see any wheels... And even if there were, would we even be able to get it through the doorways?" Faedyn added.

"I can tell you this much, I'm not carrying it!" Julianna crossed her arms with a puff.

"Let's not forget the cost of maintenance and ammo. No matter how you look at it, it's just too big," Isaac finished.

"It's too big? Aww..." Wynne looked down in defeat.

"Well, we best be getting back to the labyrinth. We'll be back later, Wynne," Reannan thanked the girl for her services and turned to leave, the others following behind her. Olga stood by Wynne for a moment before placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. They just don't see your creation for the masterpiece it is. I'll make sure to convince them otherwise!"

After flashing a final smile, Olga ran off to catch up with her guild.


End file.
